Sortilege
by Ms.KlarolineMikaelson
Summary: Her husband's tragic death brings Caroline to New Orleans, the city where she learns that her marriage had been part of a bigger plot, one meant to destroy Klaus Mikaelson and his family. Will she remain silent and watch as an innocent family becomes victim to the schemes of a vindictive & frivolous man or will she reveal the truth risking the safety of her loved ones?
1. Prologue

Hi everyone! I know I've been gone for some time and that many of you are waiting for an update on HIMYM so I just want to let you know that I still plan to finish translating that story and that I will be posting the next chapter very soon (:

On another note, this new story is one that I've been working on for some time and I am really excited to finally be posting it. The story is closely based on one of my favorite hispanic soap operas so it will be filled with drama and romance. Those of you who follow me on tumblr have already read a sneak peek for this story so I'm really excited to see what you guys think of it! Those of you that don't follow me on tumblr and will like to do so to see some of my future sneak peeks, you can find me as msklarolinemikaelson.

FYI, this chapter will be very short and wont include any Klaroline, but the following ones will be a lot longer and will center around our favorite couple! Please leave a review if you would be interested in reading more of this.

*As always, I do not own TVD or TO, all credit reserved to the respective owners.*

Hope you enjoy xx

* * *

 **Sortilege: PROLOGUE**

New Orleans, LA - _Present_

Freya Mikaelson arrived at Mikaelson CO. dressed impeccably in a black skirt and a burgundy buttoned shirt. She had a board meeting in thirty minutes regarding the purchase of the bayou. The bayou was a part of New Orleans history and home to their endangered species of wolves and Klaus hoped that they would be able to acquire the land and create a sanctuary that ensured the protection and survival of the beautiful creatures.

Freya didn't usually involve herself in the family business, she'd never had much interest in it. However, this situation was unique. Against her father's wishes for her to pursue a career in business, Freya had opted to study environmental law. Now a days she hardly ever used her degree, preferring to travel and explore the world spontaneously; however, Klaus had asked her to take care of this since she had experience with these type of cases and she'd been unable to deny her brother's request.

New Orleans was their home after all, and as Mikaelson's it was their job to ensure it's peace and prosperity.

Centuries ago, their ancestors had arrived to Louisiana and founded New Orleans. They had been in control of the city until 1919, when they'd been forced to flee town after a mysterious massacre. The family had afterwards established in Chicago, where they relished in the darkness and extravaganza of the roaring 20's, but darkness seemed to follow the family because eventually they were forced to flee that city as well, their whereabouts unknown for many years until they'd resurfaced in Europe in the late 1930's.

That is where her father had been born and where she and her siblings had been born as well. Her great-grandfather had founded their family business, Mikaelson Incorporated, and brought great prestige and respect to their family name, making them one of the most powerful families in Europe.

Throughout the years, the different generations of Mikaelsons had ensured that their family name continued to hold the power they held. In 1997, her father had taken over the family business after the death of her grandfather. Mikael had continued the legacy of his family, driving Mikaelson Inc. through immense success not only in Europe, but also in the United States.

They'd led happy lives in Europe, until her father had abruptly decided they were moving to the United States. " _It is time for a change of scenery,"_ Mikael had told them. And so, they'd moved to New Orleans, the city that their ancestors had founded centuries before.

Of course it wasn't until years later that Freya learned that her father had simply been running away from a place where'd he suffered a great amount of betrayal.

* * *

 _Europe – 2001_

" _Tell me his name!" Mikael shouted as he shook a letter in his hand. He'd seen it in the stack of mail the maid had left in his office, it'd been addressed to Esther, but had no sender. Curiosity had gotten the best of him and he'd opened it to find confirmation of what he'd suspected for many years: that Niklaus was not his son._

" _Mikael, please… just let me explain everything!" she pleaded, recognizing the writing on the letter as Ansel's. She hadn't heard from him since she'd ended things with him, but she knew he hadn't believed her when she denied his suspicions about Niklaus' paternity. Unfortunately for her, Niklaus was the exact copy of Ansel as a child, so it was only a matter of time before Ansel figured out the truth and tried contacting her again. Apparently, that time was now and as if karma had planned it, Mikael found the letter._

" _Explain what!? How you slept with another man and pinned his bastard child on me!?"_

 _Esther widened her eyes, scared by the darkness she saw in his eyes._

" _I hated myself… for so long... I hated myself for not being able to love him like I love the others! I thought myself a monster because what man couldn't love his own son?! But I guess I always knew it, deep inside I knew he wasn't mine!" Mikael confessed, his voice filled with hurt and rage._

" _Mikael… please," she pleaded again._

" _His name!" he repeated, shaking her aggressively by the arms._

" _Ansel… Ansel Castle" she confessed with a sob._

 _Mikael let go of her immediately, his eyes wide with betrayal. Ansel was an old friend! He'd been the one to introduce them in the annual Mikaelson gala. How ironic, he thought with a dark laugh, causing Esther to look at him with confusion. How ironic that he'd led that man to Esther himself! That he'd been the one to open the doors of his home to him. He'd trusted him, he'd trusted them both, and they repaid him in the vilest of ways._

" _Who else knows?" he asked somberly._

" _No one," she whispered._

" _Then we will keep it that way, I will not allow your indiscretions to ruin this family!" he hissed before throwing the letter in the fireplace and storming out of the room leaving Esther a sobbing mess for she knew that nothing would ever be the same again._

* * *

And she'd been right.

Mikael had believed that leaving Europe would allow him to forget about Esther's betrayal, but he'd been wrong. How could he forget about it, when Niklaus' presence reminded him of it all the time? And so, he'd distanced himself, becoming cold and indifferent towards the boy.

And thus had begun the sad childhood of Niklaus Mikaelson, a boy that desperately desired his father's love and acceptance. He'd only been about seven years old, unable to understand why his father had suddenly began hating him. Freya had witnessed the pain in her brothers eyes every time Mikael sidelined him or neglected to show any interest in his achievements. This only pushed Niklaus to try harder, always striving to be the best at everything he did with the hope that Mikael would notice and be proud of him, but nothing ever worked. Mikael simply didn't care.

Freya could clearly remember the day things had taken a turn for the worse. Klaus had been about 13 years old when he'd gotten into a fight at school and Mikael had been furious; he'd shouted at him telling him that he only brought shame and embarrassment to the family name. Obviously hurt by his words, Klaus' eyes had filled with tears, tears that had triggered Mikael's anger further. Freya and Esther had heard the shouting as they entered the house, "You're crying?! I haven't done anything to you! I'll give you a real reason to cry, _boy_!" followed by the sound of a hard strike and a cry from her brother.

Esther had instantly ran into the room, rushing to her trembling son to make sure he was okay, watching as Mikael battled with the guilt brought upon by his actions. Her mother had urged her and Klaus to leave the room, and from down the hall they'd both heard the start of one of the worst fights their parents ever had.

Mikael never tried to harm Klaus again, but that didn't eliminate the growing tension them, in fact, their relationship only worsened throughout the years. Eventually Klaus gave up on seeking Mikael's acceptance, realizing it was a futile task. Slowly, the sweet innocent boy that desperately desired his father's love was replaced by a cold man that built iron walls around his heart. A paranoid man that refused to trust or care about anyone that wasn't family.

"Good morning, Ms. Mikaelson," Klaus' secretary greeted, interrupting Freya from her thoughts.

"Hello, Sophie" she said with a polite smile, walking towards the door.

"There are two officers inside the office wishing to speak with you, they said it was urgent so I let them in."

Freya sighed holding the bridge of her nose annoyed, Kol had probably gotten into trouble again and since Klaus wasn't here she'd have to deal with it. "Thanks," she told the secretary as she walked inside her brother's office. "Officers, how may I help you?" Freya asked as she took a seat in her brothers chair.

The officers looked at each other in silence as if having a mental discussion about who would be the one to speak, one finally cleared his throat giving her a doleful look. The energy of the room changed very suddenly, and goosebumps quickly made an appearance on her skin. Goosebumps invaded her skin at the tension in the room as the officers shared looks of commiseration. "Officers what is the matter?" she asked in a small voice, holding on to the edge of her seat. An emptiness immediately forming in her stomach.

"Ms. Mikaelson, we tried to reach you at your family home, but we were told to find you here instead."

"What's this about?" she asked in a dry voice.

"Mam, we are very sorry to be the bearers of bad news…"

Her heart dropped. Fear and dread invaded her senses immediately at the realization that this wouldn't be about one of Kol's usual antics… something really bad had happened and she was sure it wasn't something she was ready to hear.


	2. Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

Hey! Here's the official first chapter, I'm excited to see what you guys think of it!

*As always, I do not own TVD or TO, nor do I own Sortilegio, all credit reserved to the respective owners.*

Hope you enjoy xx

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Wolf in Sheep's Clothing**

"Beware, beware, be skeptical,

Of their smiles, their smiles of plated gold.

Deceit, so natural,

But a wolf in sheep's clothing

is more than a warning."

\- Set it Off, Wolf In Sheep's Clothing

* * *

Mystic Falls, VA _\- A few days earlier..._

Caroline Forbes had lived in Mystic Falls, Virginia for as long as she could remember. The small, picturesque town was founded in 1860 and is rich in folklore history and legends. Many believed that in the past the town had been inhabited by mystical creatures, but of course, those were simply myths and although, to outsiders, Mystic Falls seemed dark and mysterious, to its less than seven thousand residents it was safe and serene, the perfect place to live. Caroline disagreed. Unlike her fellow residents, she thought of this town as a cage, one that no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't escape.

She had escaped for some time when she moved to her dorm room at Whitmore College; the few months she'd spent there had been amazing, she'd learned to be independent and self-sufficient, she'd learned to believe in herself and her potential to achieve her goals. It was strange to think that at one point Caroline thought that her biggest achievements in life would be becoming a cheerleading captain as a sophomore and winning the Miss Mystic Falls competition; she realized how wrong she was the minute she left Mystic Falls and got a tiny taste of what the world had to offer.

Caroline had been ready to embark on her new journey and enjoy every second of it, but unfortunately, life had other plans for her.

She would never forget the night she received the terrible news of her father's death, how could she? That was the night she and her sister had lost the only family they'd ever known. That was the night she stopped being a college student and became legal guardian to a then fifteen-year-old Davina. Adapting to her new role hadn't been easy, she'd been forced to grow up and mature quicker than anyone her age, half the town had expected her to fail, but Caroline had proven them wrong. Becoming Davina's guardian allowed her to recognize the things that truly mattered in life and gave her a new perspective to view the world with and although she still dreamed of leaving Mystic Falls, she no longer thought of it as a cage.

"Hey Care, I brought you lunch." A young brunette said as she entered Witchy Antiques, Sheila Bennett had found the name appropriate since her ancestors were rumored to have been some of the strongest witches. She didn't actually believe any of it, of course, but there was always a few who did and the old woman enjoyed scaring them with her cryptic and spell-like rambles. Caroline always had a good laugh when teenagers would run out of the shop scared of the 'old witch.'

"Oh god! Thanks, Dee, I was starving," Caroline said putting aside some artifacts she'd been cleaning and taking the bag of food gratefully. She'd been so enthralled trying to finish as much work as possible before her vacation that she'd forgotten to have some lunch, luckily, Davina had called and offered to pick up food.

"Did you pick up your dress already?" Davina asked excitedly as she began eating her food.

"Yes, I left it in the house! You know it's nothing super fancy or expensive, but it's beautiful" she said smiling with excitement. She couldn't afford anything extravagant, but the dress she'd chosen was lovely. Besides, Caroline didn't really care about the dress, all that mattered was that in a few days she would be happily married to the man that she loved.

"My god, Care I'm so excited for you!" Davina told her. "You deserve all the happiness in the world! You're the best sister that I could've asked for. You always look out for me and do the impossible to make sure I'm happy. Dad and mom would be so proud," Davina said with a happy smile.

Caroline sighed with a small smile and grabbed Davina's hand "Dee, you know taking care of you isn't a burden for me. I'll continue doing it even after the wedding, you're my little sister and I love you."

"I love you too," Davina said with teary eyes and a smile.. "Will Klaus' family be at the wedding?" she asked, changing the subject back to the wedding before they got carried away with their sappiness.

"No… his siblings live in Europe and they won't be able to make it," Caroline said as she continued eating her food.

"Oh. That's too bad… Are you excited though? In just a few days you'll be Mrs. Mikaelson," she told her lifting her brows jokingly.

"God, I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with him."

Davina giggled at her sister's excitement, watching her jump at the sound of her ringtone and immediately answering, knowing who it was without even glancing at her screen.

"Hey, Klaus" she greeted with a cheesy smile.

* * *

Klaus ended his phone call with a smile as he got off the elevator and walked towards his car. He'd spent his entire day at the office meeting with potential investors, discussing the possibility of new projects for the company. He had plans of expansion for the company and wanted to make sure all urgent matters were taken care of before his trip. He was contemplating whether to inform his siblings of his plans when he spotted Lucien walking across the parking lot towards the elevator. Needing to discuss some important issues with him, he walked a little faster until he caught up with him.

Lucien Castle... now he'd been a surprise. Lucien had come to New Orleans a few years ago claiming to be Klaus' brother. Klaus had laughed in his face labeling him a maniac, but Lucien had insisted, so much that eventually, Klaus agreed to take a DNA test. He'd done it simply himself of Lucien, sure that the results would be negative. Imagine his surprise when they revealed the opposite.

That was how he'd discovered that he'd been lied to his whole life, that Mikael Mikaelson wasn't his real father and that his actual father was dead.

Everything had made so much sense after that revelation, it was then that he'd understood so many things: Mikael's treatment of him, their sudden move from Europe, his constant feeling of not belonging… everything.

Angry, Klaus had confronted his mother and demanded an explanation. Amidst tears, Esther had confessed everything to him and explained how Mikael had discovered the truth and decided to move the family to a different country in an effort to avoid a scandal. Something that wasn't a surprise since the Mikaelson's thrived on their reputation and were never very fond of anything that could jeopardize their image.

His conversation with his mother had been imperative and although he was upset with her, he was glad to finally learn the truth.

He'd learned a few things about his biological father from speaking to his mother, like the fact that he enjoyed painting, which finally gave Klaus a clue as to where his talent and interest in art came from. The rest he learned through Lucien, who had clearly had a great relationship with Ansel, he spoke of him in a way that Klaus would never be able to do so about the man who raised him.

It'd been difficult to learn of Ansel's death, to accept that he would never meet his real father and that all his questions would forever go unanswered. All he had from his biological father was a letter Lucien had given to him, in it, he confessed his great regret for not being a part of his life and shared his hopes for the possibility that he and Lucien would grow to accept each other as brothers.

Ansel had been Lucien's only family, his mother had passed away years before his father and he'd never had any other siblings. He'd traveled to New Orleans with no intentions of staying, he simply wished to search for his estranged brother and give him the letter from his father, but after meeting his brother and seeing all that the city had to offer he found himself prolonging his stay.

His stay later became permanent when Klaus offered him an opportunity to invest and work in Mikaelson Inc. An opportunity that Lucien had been unable to reject. He had come to New Orleans to meet and get to know his estranged brother, what better way for that to happen than to work alongside him?

Everything had been great at the beginning, working together had allowed the brothers to connect with one another and form a brotherly bond. Klaus had been pleased to at last have a sibling that shared the same interest and ambition for business as he, together they were able to develop several projects that were highly beneficial for the company. Lucien had taken his role in the company very seriously, his hard work and merit eventually landing him the CFO position.

Things had changed in the last year, however, Lucien had become avaricious and antagonistic, making reckless business decisions with no consideration for the consequences. Lately, he'd done nothing but make a mess of things and leave Klaus to deal with the repercussions. Klaus was unsure of the reason for the drastic change, but he had simply grown tired of it. Lucien needed to get his act together before Klaus was forced to make an unpleasant decision.

"I heard you approved the resort project for the territory in Miami," Klaus said, finally catching up to him in the parking lot.

"That's right," he replied matter of factly.

"And you did so even after Stefan warned you that it was a possible flood zone?"

Lucien scoffed, "Stefan, is an idiot that makes things up to make himself feel more useful and important to the company," he told him.

"Stefan is a professional, it's his job to determine whether the land we acquire is safe for construction. He's the head engineer, I trust he knows what he's doing and frankly, I'm growing tired of your stupid mistakes Lucien. "

"I won't allow you to speak to me that way!" Lucien said staring at him with rage.

"The one that won't allow you to keep participating in _my_ business will be me if you don't quit acting so ineptly" Klaus spat stepping towards him threateningly. "Do not try me, Lucien," he spat angrily. "Call the office and tell them to cancel the project," he said with finality.

Lucien watched him get in his car with hatred, he really couldn't stand the smug bastard anymore, not after what he'd discovered. Not after learning that he was the reason his father was dead. Klaus Mikaelson was to blame for all his misfortune and soon he would pay for that. Lucien would ensure it. His plan was ingenious, really. He'd planned every detail meticulously knowing there was no room for error, not when the outcome of this plan was the key to finally destroying Klaus Mikaelson.

* * *

Lucien sat in his room in the manor going over the very last details of his plan. He'd been planning this for months and the day was finally approaching.

Destroying Klaus hadn't been his intention when coming to New Orleans, his intention had truly been to fulfill his father's last wish and get to know his estranged brother, but that had changed when he discovered the truth about his father's death. That was the moment his planning began.

Killing him wouldn't be enough. No. He wanted more, he wanted everything that he had; his success, his power, his money, his family. Everything.

Of course, getting his hands on the Mikaelson fortune wouldn't be simple, Klaus wasn't an idiot, he wouldn't give up his power just like that and in the event of his death, everything would no doubt be inherited by his siblings. He thought about killing them all to avoid that scenario, but that would be too messy and Lucien wasn't fond of messes. No. He needed something that would give him access to the fortune without having to kill them all, he needed a loophole.

And that loophole had come in the form of an unsuspecting blonde from Mystic Falls.

He'd met Caroline Forbes on a random trip to Virginia and was instantly smitten by her. She was beautiful and had the most captivating eyes he'd ever seen. She was innocent, naive… she was perfect.

He pursued her (impersonating Klaus' identity) and clueless to his deception, Caroline fell in love with him, so much so that she'd accepted his marriage proposal after only a few months of knowing him.

After finding Caroline, the rest of his plan was quickly assembled.

He watched Klaus for months, learned his schedule, his routine (not a hard task when you spend more than 10 hours a day working with someone). The challenging part had been learning to forge his signature. Obtaining it hadn't been difficult, not when he had access to thousands of documents signed by him. The difficult part had been to test the accuracy of his forgery, mastering the signature so that even Klaus believed it to be his own. He began by testing it at the office, replacing simple documents to see if anyone noticed any discrepancies, slowly escalating to documents with more importance until he became confident in its authenticity.

The final part of his plan was crucial, for if it failed all his work would be pointless.

Klaus had to die.

He debated on taking care of that himself, but eventually decided against it, he couldn't run the risk of anything going south, so instead, he'd hired outside sources to do the honors.

The men that Tristan hired would guarantee his demise and once Klaus was out of the picture, everything else would fall into place.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts, Tristan was finally back, he allowed him inside and made sure to close the door behind him, the help tended to put their nose where it didn't belong. "Is everything ready?" he asked as he emailed some final details to the judge he'd hired for the wedding.

"Yes sir, we will proceed, as planned, as soon as Klaus leaves on his trip," Tristan informed him.

"Perfect," he said with a malicious grin. "I need you to get me a plane ticket to Mystic Falls," he told him.

"The ticket with your brother's name, I presume."

"Obviously," he said irritated. "I trust that this will be perfectly executed, I will not forgive any errors," he told Tristan menacingly. Tristan nodded watching Lucien walk towards the window with an evil glint. "It's perfect," he whispered. "Klaus will go to the glen to inspect the land, but as we know the road is very dangerous, accidents happen all the time…" he said with fake innocence, "that is where he'll die, and once he's dead..." he said looking at Tristan "I'll keep his money and his widow" he said with a smirk.

"And the girl? Will she agree to this?" Tristan asked.

"Absolutely. I have her eating from the palm of my hand," he whispered arrogantly. His plan would work; he was sure of it.

* * *

Mornings at the Mikaelson manor were fairly normal, breakfast being the one meal the siblings all enjoyed together. It'd been a routine that Esther began when they were children, a routine they'd all silently agreed to continue out of habit, which is why they were all currently sitting in their respective seats conversing while the help finished serving their food.

Lucien had joined in on these meals ever since he began living at the mansion. The siblings had been hesitant to accept Lucien, but they made an effort to get along with him for Klaus' sake.

Klaus had been worried that his siblings would look at him differently after learning that he wasn't Mikael's son, but they never did. As was expected, they'd been shocked at the news, finally understanding Mikael's drastic change with Niklaus, although that did not justify Mikael's harsh treatment of their brother. Klaus had no say in the matter if anyone deserved Mikael's cruelty it was Esther, not him.

Instead of pushing him aside, like Klaus feared they would, they'd embraced him and repeated the promise they'd once made as children, "always and forever." That was when Klaus realized that he'd been a fool to doubt his siblings, because no matter whose son he was, he was their brother, their family, and family always stuck together.

 _We stick together as one, always and forever._

The staff finished serving breakfast as Freya took a seat in one of the chairs next to Klaus, whom as always sat at the head of the table. She unrolled her napkin and placed it on her lap as she informed Lucien that she would be accompanying Rebekah to one of her college tours after he asked what her plans for the day were. He nodded politely and wished Rebekah good luck before taking a sip of his black coffee.

"Tatia called," Freya said in-between bites, looking at Klaus.

"What did she want?" he asked, looking up from his plate.

"She wanted to join us for dinner tomorrow," she told him with a funny smirk.

Klaus rolled his eyes as he let out a small laugh, "Well, she can come if she wants, but I won't be here to tend to her. I have business to take care of all weekend," he told her.

Tatia was his… friend, to say the least. Okay, maybe 'friend' wasn't the correct term. They'd had a nice fling going until she began pressuring him for something more serious, something Klaus wasn't ready for, which is why he'd been avoiding her for the past few weeks.

"When are you leaving to the glen?" Lucien asked, changing the topic.

"I'm not sure probably the following week, I have other matters to see to before heading there," he replied as he took his mug of coffee and sipped on it.

"What is the glen?" Rebekah asked curiously.

"It's an old valley of land the company is trying to acquire, I have to go take a look at it and determine whether it is suitable for one of our new projects," Klaus told her.

Rebekah nodded her head in understanding. "Will you be back in time for the fashion show? You promised you'd be there Nik" she reminded him.

Rebekah had started her modeling career a year before and would be starring in her first runway show in about a week, something she was very excited for.

"Of course, Bekah. I promised I would be there and I intend to keep that promise, besides I wouldn't miss it for the world" he told her with a laugh causing a satisfied smile on his sister's face.

"Yes, Bekah, we all want to watch you fall and embarrass yourself," Kol said mockingly.

Rebekah gasped annoyed. "Take that back Kol!" she said throwing her napkin at him.

They all burst out laughing.

"Kol, leave our baby sister alone," Freya said calmly, used to her siblings' constant bickering, it wouldn't really be a family meal without at least one quarrel. Rebekah gave a quick eye roll in Kol's direction before returning to her food with a pout.

Not much had changed in the Mikaelson residence.

"I need to get to the office," Klaus said as he stood from his chair, "Lucien, please don't be late to this afternoon's meeting," he said grabbing his briefcase and walking out the door, waving a quick goodbye before getting on his white convertible and driving off.

Lucien rolled his eyes, annoyed, as he watched him leave through the dining room's window, reveling in the fact that he wouldn't have to deal with him for much longer.

* * *

The days went by faster than Lucien expected. Before he knew it, he and Caroline were exchanging vows and signing a marriage certificate.

He'd hesitated for a second, wishing their marriage wasn't part of a ploy. He loved her, in his own twisted form of love, one that didn't deem her enough to give up his vengeance.

Nothing was as important as that, so he'd forced the slight feeling of regret to the back of his mind, signed his brother's name like planned, and kissed her passionately as soon as the judge pronounced them man and wife.

"I love you Caroline, no matter what happens don't ever forget that."

Caroline watched him curiously as his hands softly held her face and his eyes stared intensely into hers, revealing a hint of perturbation. In different circumstances, the blonde probably would've nitpicked at the cryptic way in which he had spoken, as if he knew something bad would happen, but she didn't. She was too excited about the step they'd taken to stop and analyze everything like she usually did.

She would hate herself for missing all the signs of his deception.

So many things should've triggered her suspicions, and yet she'd failed to notice them, too in love to even consider the possibility of his betrayal. Too in love to realize she was dealing with a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Lucien wasn't foolish enough to believe that things would be easy once she became aware of their reality. He knew her moral compass would be an obstacle to his plans, but he also knew that Caroline Forbes loved him, the type of love that blinded women. At least he believed she held that type of love for him. He believed it enough to be confident that he would be able to use it to his advantage. He'd invested a lot of time into this plan and there was no way Caroline would be the cause of its failure. She would help him. He would make sure of it, even if he had to rely on threats and intimidation.

He knew he ran the risk of sparking her hatred, but he wasn't too worried, there would be plenty of time to earn her forgiveness. He wasn't sure how he would go about that just yet, but he had time to think of that later, right now all he wanted was to get out of this car so that he could finally rid her of that dress and make her his.

He'd never driven as fast as he was now, nearly speeding through every red light to finally arrive at the damn apartment; however, things wouldn't go as planned, and he realized that the minute they were interrupted by the incessant beeping of his phone.

He cursed the damn electronic, the thought of ignoring the call crossing his mind, but he decided against it when he saw the name on the screen. The second he heard what the caller had to say, he was glad he hadn't ignored the call.

"Tomorrow? But he said he was going next week!" he hissed, irritated.

Klaus had moved up his trip to the glen, which meant he would have to leave to New Orleans immediately.

"I don't know the details all I know is that he's leaving tomorrow. Should I cancel everything?" Tristan asked.

Lucien looked at Caroline, who was staring at him expectantly, trying to figure out what the call was about. He sighed, disappointed, he'd really been looking forward to finally spending the night with her, but as much as it pained him to leave, he had to be in New Orleans to oversee his plan. "No. Don't cancel anything, I'll leave immediately. Send a car for me first thing in the morning" he said, ending the call with an irritated expression. He looked up to meet Caroline's confused expression.

"You're leaving?"

"Yes, something happened at work and my boss needs me to go take care of it immediately," he told her.

She looked at him quietly, her brows furrowed in thought, "but does it have to be tonight?" It was their wedding night, they were supposed to spend it together.

"Yes, darling, unfortunately, it's an urgent matter and if I'm not there I'll probably lose my job. I'm sorry darling, you know that if this wasn't important I'd stay here with you, but I really do have to take care of this," he said pecking her lips several times. "I really am sorry, forgive me?" he pleaded, pecking her lips a few more times. Caroline understood how important this job was to him, she couldn't be mad at him for being responsible, so she smiled sadly in understanding.

Lucien was disappointed, to say the least, it really was a shame he wouldn't enjoy their wedding night. He'd been longing to make her his since the first night he'd met her, but she'd been adamant about saving herself for marriage and now that they were finally married, Klaus had to ruin it. Fortunately, this would be the last time that bastard ever ruined something for him, because in a matter of hours he would finally be dead.

* * *

 **Thank you.**


	3. How Dare You Call This Love

Hi, everyone! I'm finally back with the next chapter. Thank you to those of you that have reviewed, favorited, and followed the story so far, I really appreciate it. Things start to pick up in this chapter and I'm really excited for you guys to read it. Please let me know what you think! :)

*As always, I do not own TVD or TO, nor do I own Sortilegio, all credit reserved to the respective owners.*

Hope you enjoy xx

* * *

 **Chapter 2: How Dare You Call This Love**

"O, what a tangled web we weave

When we first practise to deceive."

Walter Scott, Marmion

* * *

Freya Mikaelson knew grieve better than most, at her young age, she was no stranger to loss or the profound changes that followed it, she'd suffered enough of it to know that that kind pain stays with you forever, becomes a part of you and permanently changes the very core of who you are.

Oh, how it'd changed her...

The death of her parents left her an orphan.

Henrik's opened her eyes to the cruel ways of the world; her baby brother not even a decade old when that tragic accident ended his life.

Losing all three at once? That hardened her and ended her faith in anything that was good.

And that wasn't all.

No.

The moment she finally believed that happiness was a possibility again, life reminded her how wrong she was and robbed her of her one true love, Mathias.

That loss had been painful in a completely different way, it'd crippled her, caused her to become a shell of the girl she once was...

It took her a long time to recover from that, but she had. As a Mikaelson she was anything if not resilient.

But where was that resilience now? Where was it now that she was expected to walk into her home and once again break her sibling's hearts?

How was she supposed to go in there and tell them that their beloved brother was gone and that there wasn't even a body to say goodbye to?

. . . . . .

" _Officers what is the matter?" she asked in a small voice, holding on to the edge of her seat. An emptiness immediately forming in her stomach._

" _Ms. Mikaelson, we tried to reach you at your family home, but we were told to find you here instead."_

" _What's this about?" she asked in a dry voice._

" _Mam, we are very sorry to be the bearers of bad news…"_

 _Her heart dropped. Fear and dread invaded her senses immediately at the realization that this wouldn't be about one of Kol's usual antics… something really bad had happened and she was sure it wasn't something she was ready to hear._

" _Officers, you're scaring me, what happened?"_

" _Two nights ago, we received a call from a witness about an accident on the road… We were able to link the license plates of one of the vehicles involved, to your brother, Klaus."_

 _She froze, her brain frantically trying to recall her last conversation with her brother. "Is he alright?!" she asked with wide eyes, interrupting whatever the officer had been asking her, "is my brother alright?"_

" _Do you know if your brother was traveling alone?" the second officer asked, ignoring her question._

 _Freya nodded her head stiffly "Yes," she whispered in shock. "Answer my question!" she demanded in a harsh tone, afraid of what their answer would be._

" _According to the witness, a truck was driving down a winding road when a semi-truck hit it, causing it to spiral down a ravine and explode… Ms. Mikaelson, a team of professionals scouted the area and found a calcined body near the wreckage, everything points to it being your brother. Please accept our most sincere condolences" the first officer said, his voice full of genuine empathy._

 _No._

 _She sat frozen on the chair, unable to move or speak, their words replaying in her head._

 _Explode… calcined body… wreckage…_

 _No._

 _This couldn't be happening._

 _No._

 _They had to be wrong, her brother couldn't be dead._

. . . . . .

The officers had gone on to explain that the semi-truck suspected of causing the accident had fled the scene without a trace. After hours of searching, they had yet to find any leads, the description the witness provided was very vague which made the search very difficult; the time gap between the accident and when the police arrived was definitely not helping.

The corpse had been found about 60 feet from the car, it had obviously been ejected through the windshield at the point of impact. Given that the car had exploded, the body was burnt and completely unrecognizable, all the forensic scientist was able to confirm was that it was a man in his early 20's and since her brother was traveling alone it was easy to assume that the body was his, either way, tests would be performed in an attempt to confirm an identity.

Freya, although over-optimistic, had hope that whatever exam they ran would reveal that it wasn't her brother, that Klaus had somehow survived and that this was all a horrible mistake, but unfortunately that hope had lasted all of two hours, before the authorities contacted her to confirm that the dental records were, in fact, a perfect match

As soon as she ended that call she allowed herself to break down in her car, she hoped and prayed that her brother died with the impact because if he hadn't then he'd suffered through the burning of his flesh, and that was a horrific and unfair way for him to leave this earth.

Her brother did not deserve that.

Never had she hated being the oldest as much as she did now, as much as she wanted to stay in her car and cry until she had no tears left, she couldn't, she had to keep it together for everyone else, so she wiped her tears and got off her car.

Niklaus is dead.

Her brother is dead and no matter how painful that was she needed to inform her siblings.

She saw Rebekah first and her heart clenched, painfully. Her little sister was out by the pool talking animatedly on her phone, her head thrown back in jovial laughter, laughter that would soon be replaced by heartbreaking sobs. Rebekah would be crushed, she loved Niklaus wholeheartedly. Not that she didn't love Freya and Kol with equal measure, but her bond with Klaus was different, she saw him as the protector, the brave knight that would keep her safe during thunderstorms and chase away the scary monsters.

He was her best friend and his death would break her.

Freya took a deep breath, preparing herself for what was to come. She gave Rebekah a somber look and cleared her throat as she began to walk towards her.

The worry quickly became evident on her little sister's face, "Freya, what's wrong? You look upset," Rebekah asked, with furrowed brows.

"I must speak with you all, find Kol and Lucien and meet me inside."

"Why? What's the matter?"

"Bekah, please do as I say," she pleaded.

Rebekah nodded and rushed inside, freaking out, her gut telling her that something horrible had happened. She took off towards the house in a hurry, dreading what her older sister would tell them.

She found both Kol and Lucien in their respective rooms and they followed her to the study as soon as they saw the worried look on her face. It was obvious that whatever she'd noticed in Freya's behavior had troubled her.

Freya was pacing back and forth when they entered the room, her shoulders tense and her eyes red and swollen (a sign that she'd been crying). They shared worrisome looks as they sat down, all clueless as to what the hell was going on.

Well, all except Lucien. By the state that Freya was in, he could reckon that she'd found out about Klaus' fatal accident. As soon as he'd arrived from Mystic Falls that morning Tristan had informed him that their plan had been perfectly executed, Tristan had watched as the car rolled down the ravine and burst into flames. Lucien knew there was no way his brother would have survived that, no one was that lucky.

"Freya would you tell us what the bloody hell is going on before you dig a hole on the floor!?" Kol asked, being the first to speak, there was nothing he hated more than tension-filled silence.

"Did something happen to Nik?" Rebekah asked in a monotone voice that surprised all of them.

Freya turned away, avoiding their eyes. Her sister really was as perceptive as they came, or maybe she just learned to expect the worse anytime they gathered in the study for mysterious meetings.

"That's what this is about, right?"

Freya took a silent breath, struggling with the tears the formed in her eyes at the fear and pain she recognized in Rebekah's voice.

"Something's happened to him and that's why you have that look on your face." Rebekah finished, tears already forming in her eyes, fearing the worst.

"Freya what is this about? Where is Klaus?" Lucien asked with fake concern, knowing very well that his brother was dead.

Freya finally turned around allowing her tears to escape.

"Goddammit, Freya! Get on with it! What the hell happened to Nik?" Kol asked, frustrated.

She cleared her throat and sadly began telling them everything the officers had told her: that Klaus' car had exploded after rolling down a ravine and that they found his dead body near the wreckage.

"So you're saying that Nik is… that he's…" Kol said as he sat down on the couch, unable to finish the sentence.

Freya tearfully nodded her head, too choked up to repeat the words.

"No! No! No!" Rebekah cried shaking her head and falling to the floor in tears. She looked so tiny and fragile, her small frame shaking due to the sobs.

"I'm so sorry Bekah, I wish it were a lie, but it isn't," Freya whispered, kneeling on the floor to hug her baby sister.

She looked up to where Kol was, frozen on the seat, blankly staring at the wall. She freed one of her arms and placed her hands over his to offer him comfort. From the corner of her eye, she saw Lucien place a hand on Kol's shoulder with a sad look in his eyes.

She lost track of how long they sat there basking in their grief, she had no idea how long she sat there hugging a crying Rebekah whilst holding a silent Kol's hand. The moment was agonizingly familiar to when they'd learned of their parents and Henrik's death except that this time Klaus was not there to hold her as she held Rebekah. This time their grief was for him.

* * *

Lucien felt a wave of guilt invade him as he sat and watched the scene that unfolded before him. The siblings were kind to him and always made an effort to get along, he knew it was mostly due to Klaus' persistence to make him feel as much his sibling as them, but at some point they'd really began to see him as family. So yes, he felt a glimmer of guilt, but he quickly squashed it. Their suffering was simply collateral damage. It was necessary to get what he wanted, and he had. He was finally rid of Klaus Mikaelson.

* * *

The terrible news had traveled around fast. The press had wasted no time in violating the Mikaelson's privacy and intruding on their grief, several reporters already stationed at the edge of the property with cameras and recorders, all anxious to learn how the most powerful man in New Orleans had lost his life.

Her brother was dead, and instead of being curled up in a ball crying her heart out, Freya was stuck in her study making arrangements for his funeral and dealing with security measures to keep invasive reporters out of her home.

To top it all off, her brother wasn't even 6-feet underground and already there was a group of power-hungry investors fighting over his job. She really wasn't in the right mind to deal with any of that, which is why Lucien had volunteered to attend the board meeting and make the necessary adjustments to keep the company afloat until they figured out who would step in for Klaus.

She let out an exhausted and sad breath, fighting the onset of tears that threatened to escape. She stood up and walked to the mini bar, refilling her glass with bourbon. She smiled, remembering the first time a young Rebekah had stolen a sip from Klaus's glass, immediately spitting it out and coughing, her brother had burst out laughing and Rebekah's curiosity for alcohol died for some time. She pushed the memory away, fearing that it might lead her down a spire of emotions. She couldn't break down, not yet, she had to be strong for Kol and Rebekah.

"We need to do something about the growing pest of reporters gathered by the fence," Lucien exclaimed as he walked into the office.

"I've already called our head of security, the situation should be under control soon enough."

Lucien nodded, taking a seat across from her.

"How was the meeting?" She asked, her voice rough and dejected.

"As good as could be. The board agreed to hold off on any decisions until we figure out everything with Klaus' will. They all send their condolences."

"Good," she nodded staring at the folder he was holding, "what is that?"

"I was hoping you knew something because I have no clue," he said handing it to her with a serious tone.

She opened the envelope, immediately confused with its content. "What the hell is this? Where did you get it?" She asked with a shrill voice.

"Greta found it on his desk this morning when she arrived at the office," he told her. "She informed me after the meeting and together we searched his office and found the girl's number in his phone book," he said handing her the sheet he'd ripped from Klaus' phonebook.

"This does not make any sense! Why the hell would he do this without telling any of us, he never even mentioned meeting anyone! Besides, wasn't he dating Tatia?"

"I don't know what to say Freya, I'm as clueless as you are."

She was flabbergasted. She knew her brother enjoyed his privacy, but this was too much, even for him. When the hell had he gotten married and why had he done it in secret!? It made no sense and yet the marriage certificate in her hand was very real, as was his signature.

"What are you going to do? I'm sure it won't be long until the story leaks and we have a scandal on our hands…"

He was right, as soon as anyone found out about this the swarm of reporters stalking the mansion would multiply, not to mention the family friends and acquaintances that would start calling to find out more details. She really couldn't deal with something like that on top of everything else. They needed damage control, anything to avoid a scandal about her brother's secret wedding to… she had to look at the marriage certificate again, the girls name not ringing any bells. Caroline Forbes, that was the name written alongside her brothers, but who the hell was she and why had her brother married her in secret?

It - it just didn't make any sense! Klaus had never so much as mentioned any desire to be married, he enjoyed his philandering ways, too much if you asked her, and never gave the slightest hint that he was even ready to be monogamous. Tatia was probably the closest that came to anything remotely serious, her poor friend had been chasing her brother for as long as she'd known him and never even gained the 'official girlfriend' title.

Was this the reason why? Had he been playing her all along while planning a wedding with another girl? Had her brother really toyed with her that way? She hoped not, because if he did then she hadn't known him as well as she'd thought.

And why marry this way? Why hide it from his family? Why never even mention the girl's name?

Several questions roamed her thoughts, questions that would most likely remain unanswered because her brother was no longer alive to answer them.

Except he wasn't the only one that could've answered those questions, was he? There was one other person that could and she was just a phone call away.

"You're right, I should probably call the girl, she's probably not aware of Nik's death. I should talk to her and make sure she arrives as soon as possible. She's the only one that can answer all our questions, she can help us understand why my brother did things the way he did."

"Well, while you take care of that I'll go give Kol and Rebekah a heads up about what we discovered," he said dismissing himself from the room, already thinking of a good reason to excuse his absence at the funeral, he couldn't be there when Caroline arrived, she couldn't see him, because if she did then everything would go to hell.

* * *

Caroline clicked her phone upset, running her hand through her hair. It'd been two days since she'd last heard from Klaus and she was beginning to worry, especially since he'd promised to call her as soon as he landed in New Orleans. Usually, whenever he couldn't take her calls he would send her a text to let her know, but this time he hadn't.

No text. No calls. Nothing.

"Maybe his phone died and he hasn't been able to charge it," Davina suggested attempting to calm her sister's anxiety, if it wasn't Caroline's only way to communicate with Klaus, the rectangular device would've already been damaged out of frustration.

"Yeah, maybe," Caroline said hesitantly.

Just as she'd finished her sentence, she heard the start of her ringtone, in less than a second she had accepted the call without bothering to check the caller ID.

"Hello?" She asked, her voice full of anticipation and hope.

"Hello, is this Caroline Forbes?" a woman's voice asked politely.

"Yes, that's me. Who is this?" she asked confused.

"Caroline. My name is Freya Mikaelson, I am Niklaus' sister. I found your phone number in my brother's phone book…"

"Freya… yeah, he's mentioned you before. How- how did you get my number? Is Klaus okay? Because he hasn't been answering my calls, I haven't heard anything from him in 2 days and I'm starting to get really worried…" she whispered, hoping his sister had a message from him.

"Listen, what I'm about to say is not easy, but you have a right to know... My brother - he um - he was in a terrible accident two nights ago… His car, it - it was really bad, he- he didn't survive…."

The rest of her words blurred, Caroline's world froze. Freya's words being replayed in her head _he was in a terrible accident… he didn't survive._

"No," she cried, interrupting whatever his sister was saying.

"No! Stop! Who are you? Why are you doing this?" she shouted, praying that this was all some cruel joke. Praying that what she'd just heard about Klaus was not real.

Davina sat up straight, wondering what the caller had said to make her sister so upset.

"I'm really sorry to be telling you this through the phone, but we were unaware that Klaus was married, we just found your marriage certificate this morning…"

"No, please no… this isn't happening. Please tell me you're lying… please" Caroline sobbed.

"Trust me, I wish I were, but it's the truth. We would appreciate it if you came to New Orleans immediately; the funeral is tomorrow night…" she finished clearing the lump in her throat.

Caroline was still sobbing into the phone, Davina was looking at her with tears in her eyes. "Okay," she whispered, jotting down the address Freya gave her before ending the call to throw her arms around Davina, repeating in between sobs everything that his sister had told her.

The future she'd envisioned flashed before her eyes, taunting her with what she'd no longer have. How unfair, to be married for less than a week and then have her husband cruelly ripped out of her life, to have their story end before it even began, to not even be allowed a proper goodbye. Those agonizing thoughts were her reality… her husband was dead and there was nothing she could do to change that. The pain came at her in waves, threatening to consume her entirely, choking her until she couldn't breathe anymore. Her only comfort was the feeling of Davina's arms wrapped tightly around her, reminding her that she wasn't alone.

* * *

"What do you mean Nik was married?" Kol asked in an incredulous tone.

"I mean exactly that, our brother got married a few days ago to a girl from Mystic Falls."

"Mystic Falls?! Where the hell is that?" he asked, never having heard of it.

"It's a small town in Virginia, we have some investors there, but that's not important. What's important is that his wife will be arriving soon and for the sake of our brother's reputation we will act as if we know her and were aware of their marriage. "

"Why?" Rebekah asked, her eyes expressing the confusion she felt.

"Your sister has enough on her plate right now, the last thing she needs is a scandal to deal with."

"But…" Kol cut in, argumentatively, unable to comprehend how this was possible, he'd never heard his brother mention anything about Mystic Falls or meeting a girl. Why would he get married without telling any of them?

"No buts! Just listen to Freya! And not a thing about this to anyone, don't make this any harder than it is!" Lucien exclaimed, annoyed with their twenty questions.

Rebekah and Kol watched him leave with bewildered expressions, both struggling to fully grasp everything they'd just found out, knowing that Klaus' reasons will forever remain a mystery.

* * *

Caroline and Davina looked around the big city, both wishing they were there in different circumstances. They'd taken the first available flight as soon as Caroline had calmed down, arriving a few hours later. Caroline had spent the flight in silence, looking out her window with a blank expression, still hoping that this was all a misunderstanding.

As soon as they got through customs, they found a driver holding up a sign with Caroline's name, just as Freya told them to expect.

The driver helped them with their bags and quickly led them to a fancy black car that was parked on the curb. The old man opened the door for them and they sat inside, watching from the glass as he went towards the back of the car to place their luggage in the trunk.

They rode in silence for about forty minutes, until the driver stopped in front of a large black gate with an intricate crest depicting a snake wrapped around the letter M.

The sisters looked around in confusion, noticing a news van parked on the side and people standing around with cameras and microphones. Reporters. _Where were they and why was there reporters outside?_

They noticed the driver press a button and watched as the gate opened to allow them inside. As soon as the crowd of reporters saw the car, they began walking to it and flashing photographs probably hoping to catch a glimpse of the people inside.

"Where are we?" Caroline asked the driver as she noticed the enormous mansion that was visible at the end of the tree covered road.

"This is the Mikaelson manor," the driver said matter of factly.

"Mikaelson manor?" Davina asked with confusion.

"Yes. This home has belonged to the Mikaelson family since it was built in the 1700's," the driver informed them as he parked beside the fancy stairs that led to the beautiful mansion.

Caroline looked around in panic, the day's events hitting her like a ton of bricks, suffocating her. Why had Klaus lied to her? Why hadn't he told her about any of this? Her heart hammered on overdrive as if trying to beat out of her chest, her breaths came out in gasps. She took deep breaths to calm herself, knowing that if she didn't she would find herself amidst a panic attack that she wasn't ready to deal with.

She could feel Davina rubbing her back soothingly, worry marring her features. "I'm okay," she assured her with a soft exhale.

The driver opened her door before Davina could say anything else and they both stepped out warily, taking in their surroundings.

An old man dressed in all black approached them with a neutral expression.

"Good afternoon, my name is Pete, I am the butler. Ms. Freya is waiting for you both in the study, Ray will take care of your luggage, follow me please."

He turned and began walking, Caroline and Davina quickly following behind him.

* * *

The interior of the house left the sisters in awe, it was as if they'd stepped into a museum, the walls displaying what were no doubt very famous and old artworks. The furniture was antique, giving the mansion a very regal feel.

Caroline couldn't believe that this was Klaus' home, still in disbelief that he'd kept this a secret from her.

Pete softly opened some set of mahogany double doors and they slowly stepped inside. There was an attractive blonde woman inside and she quickly greeted them and introduced herself as Freya, the one Caroline had spoken to on the phone. Caroline introduced herself and Davina and then took a seat in a couple of armchairs after Freya kindly asked them to do so.

She didn't seem much older than Caroline, probably 26 or 27, but she carried herself with grace and tact that seemed almost royal. Her dirty blonde hair and forest-green eyes were a contradiction to Lucien's dark hair and hazel eyes, Caroline couldn't find anything in her face that reminded her of him.

The blonde was staring at them inquisitively as if trying to uncover a big secret, making Caroline feel uncomfortable in her own skin. She finally cleared her throat and forced herself to speak.

"I think that there's been a mistake," Caroline said desperately, shaking her head as tears streamed down her face. "Klaus wasn't rich - I mean, he had a good job, but not good enough to afford to live in a residence like this one," she said pointing around the room to all the luxuries. "Maybe we are talking about two different people… we have to be talking about different people" she whispered shaking her head in denial.

Freya shook her head not knowing why her brother had done things the way he did or why he'd lied to Caroline about his status, but he had and there was nothing anyone could do to change that. She rubbed the girl's shoulder softly handing her the marriage certificate they'd found. Caroline looked at it recognizing her signature and Klaus', realizing that there'd been no confusion; her husband was dead. He was dead, and she would never see him again.

She was unable to stop the sobs that followed and Freya, noticing her distress, gave her a tea to help her nerves. The tea had done its job, leaving Caroline more calm and mellow as Freya led her and Davina to their guest rooms.

The sisters quickly changed into a pair of modest black dresses that Freya had loaned them; in their hurry, they had forgotten to pack appropriate clothes for the funeral.

Once they were both ready, they joined Freya in the foyer where she introduced them to the rest of her family. The bewildered look in each of the siblings faces made it clear that Klaus had never mentioned her to them and that fact pained Caroline more than she was willing to admit.

His brother, Kol, was about Caroline's age and he'd stared at them with curiosity as Freya introduced them. His youngest sister, Rebekah, was about Davina's age and she'd been a bit more standoffish, looking at them with scrutiny.

Both those expressions faded quickly and were replaced by sorrowful ones that mirrored her own. The pain that was visible in the depth of their eyes, made it clear that the siblings had been very close to Klaus.

Caroline couldn't help but notice the similarities that the siblings shared and wondered why neither bore a resemblance to Klaus. She quickly pushed the thought away knowing that similar things could be said about Davina and her.

Freya had mentioned a half-brother that was out of town, but that also lived in the house. Klaus had never mentioned him and the more Caroline learned, the more she realized that she knew almost nothing about him whereas he'd known almost everything about her.

Freya had explained to her that their family was very popular in the city and that there would be reporters outside the funeral home wishing to speak to her to learn all about her relationship with Klaus. She'd quickly asked that she ignore them and avoid giving any statements for the sake of the family's privacy; Freya had also asked that they not mention the families obliviousness to her relationship with Klaus to prevent any further scandals that may tarnish his name.

Caroline nodded, agreeing to everything, knowing that the last thing she wanted was to talk to intrusive reporters. She was too busy processing all the new information she'd learned anyways.

Klaus had mentioned his siblings only once after she'd practically begged him to share more about his family, but he'd never gone into any details, and he definitely never mentioned being a billionaire.

Did he think she would marry him for his money? Is that why he lied about his lifestyle? Was he embarrassed by her? Did he think she wasn't classy or educated enough to fit into his world? Those were the thoughts that tormented her throughout the day as she sat on the main floor of the funeral home.

Caroline had been shocked at the number of people in attendance, the Mikaelson family was indeed very well known. Just as Freya predicted, there'd been a crowd of reporters by the entrance seeking a statement from the family, desperate for details about the mysterious widow of the famous Niklaus Mikaelson, but they'd quickly avoided them by entering through a private door.

Caroline and the Mikaelson's had hardly had a minute to grieve on their own, guests approaching them throughout the night to express their condolences.

Caroline could feel people staring, the guests probably wondering where'd she come from and why Klaus had kept their relationship a secret.

She wanted to yell at them to stop staring, but Freya's words about propriety and decorum ran through her mind as she sat in a pew with the direct view to the black coffin that held his body.

She felt… numb, her heart still refusing to accept his death, as if the man in the coffin were a stranger and not the one she loved and married.

As the clock struck midnight people began to leave, finally allowing the family a chance to grieve in private. They all sat on the pews praying that Klaus' death had been quick and painless. His body had burnt, leaving him distorted and unrecognizable… Lucien had been the only one to see it, prohibiting the rest from doing the same, claiming to be saving them from a traumatic image. So, they stared at the closed coffin with agony until it was time to say goodbye.

* * *

"I would appreciate it if you allowed us to spend the night here, tomorrow my sister and I will return home," Caroline told Freya as they all arrived back to the mansion.

"Look, Caroline, you can't just leave like that, we have a lot of things to discuss, you are my brother's wife and as such you have to be present for the reading of his will tomorrow. Besides, when the media finds out about your sudden departure fake stories that will only hurt my brother's reputation will spiral and he does not deserve that," she reasoned.

"Okay," Caroline agreed, not wanting to cause any problems for Klaus' family. After agreeing to speak the following morning, Freya asked Pete to walk her and Davina to their respective guest rooms. Freya watched them head upstairs for a few seconds before heading towards the sitting room where Kol and Rebekah sat waiting for Lucien's arrival; he'd gone to Mystic Falls to investigate what he could about Klaus' wife.

"Freya can you please explain what the bloody hell is going on? How could Nik do this? How could he go off and marry some girl without telling us?" Kol asked, wanting to understand the situation.

"I don't know, brother. She claims to have been unaware of his status, swears that he never mentioned it, that he only mentioned working for a construction company and having siblings in Europe."

"But, why?" Rebekah, who'd been silent the entire day asked quietly.

"I don't know, okay! I don't know why he did things that way! And unfortunately, we will never find out!" Freya said with a tight voice.

"But, is the marriage legal?" Kol asked.

"It appears to be," Freya responded, annoyed that her siblings were battering her for answers when she was as clueless as they were. "Lucien will tell us everything when he gets here."

"You mentioned Nik's will… why?" Kol exclaimed.

"Because in it, our brother states that his wife and children, if any, would inherit all his fortune."

"What?! What about us? We can't just let some strange woman walk into our home and take everything from us!" he exclaimed.

"If she is Niklaus' legitimate wife, then we can't do anything," Freya told him with a serious face.

"What if she leaves us in the streets?" Rebekah asked, worried at what this all meant for their future.

"She seems kind, I'm sure we can come to an agreement with her," Freya whispered.

Rebekah and Kol looked at each other and nodded silently, hoping their sister was right.

* * *

When Lucien arrived later that night he made sure to avoid Klaus' siblings knowing they would bombard him with questions believing he'd gone to Mystic Falls to investigate when in reality he'd spent the day celebrating Klaus' demise.

They could wait.

Before speaking with them he had to speak with Caroline because sooner or later she would realize the truth and he couldn't risk her revealing the truth to the rest of them.

He found her sleeping in the guest room Pete had assigned to her.

She seemed restless, her face depicting the obvious signs of crying.

Was it cruel of him to enjoy seeing her like this? To relish in the fact that his death had been painful for her? That was proof of her love, right? And if she loved him as much as he believed then she would have no objections with his plan.

He sat beside her, shaking her softly.

"Caroline…" she didn't move, "Caroline…" he tried one more time.

She opened her eyes in shock and screamed, but he was quick to cover her mouth, preventing her from alerting anyone.

"Don't scream, don't scream," he whispered, pulling her towards him.

Caroline fought him, trying to get away from him "No, no, no, you're dead, you're dead. Let me go" she cried in fear. Her sobs became hysterical so Lucien hugged her, trying to calm her.

"Darling, calm down, it's me. I'm okay."

Her sobs quieted down, but her crying didn't stop.

"We buried you! We buried you, you're dead. I'm going crazy" she whispered.

He rolled his eyes at her whispered prayer.

She slowly began to calm down and once her shock was gone and she realized that he was actually there, she hugged him, confused, but happy that he wasn't dead.

"They told me you were dead; I went to your funeral. I don't understand. What happened? How are you here right now?" she asked sniffling.

Lucien looked at her and hugged her "don't worry darling, I'll explain everything. I'm sorry you were pained by this, but it was necessary… They needed to believe it." Caroline looked at him with furrowed brows, her confusion increasing.

"Wha- what are you talking about?" she asked.

Lucien got up and helped her get out the bed, "come with me, I'll explain everything," he said leading her to one of the balcony doors and out into the garden, their silhouettes disappearing into the darkness, ensuring that no one noticed their presence.

"Klaus, what's happening? Does your family know you're okay? Where are you taking me? Talk to me."

Lucien began speaking and Caroline listened attentively, ignorant to the fact that he would twist the truth to his convenience.

"You're aware that I have a half-brother, right?"

"Yes, your sister mentioned him. Why didn't you ever tell me about him?" she asked. "I mean you never told me much, but at least you mentioned your other siblings."

"Because it's difficult for me to share that part of my life. His mother had an affair with my father while they were both married. My father's betrayal broke my mother and yet she forgave him and supported him in his search for his lost son until her very death. My father grew ill shortly after and on his deathbed he begged me to find my brother and get to know him. I couldn't break the promise I made my father and so I found him and after some time I came to meet him. He didn't believe me when I told him, he agreed to a DNA test simply as a means to get rid of me. It wasn't until he confronted his mother with the results that she finally confessed the truth of about his parentage."

Caroline nodded along, absorbing his words. She was learning more in this one conversation than all the ones they had before.

Lucien walked further into the garden and she followed, listening to the rest of his story intently.

"It took some time for us to consider ourselves family, but eventually we did. I moved to New Orleans and Klaus offered me to work by his side and I accepted in a heartbeat. I had this idea that we would work together as family, but Klaus didn't waste time demonstrating his superiority, always mocking my work and reminding me that I was disposable. Some time ago he made a bad business decision and ruined a man's life; this man swore to kill him. He tried a few times, but never succeeded; no one in the family knows this just Klaus and I. I knew that this man would try again so then it occurred to me that..."

Caroline furrowed her brows, confused at the way he was speaking, "You keep saying Klaus as if you're not talking about yourself, why? What's going on? I don't understand…"

Lucien stepped closer to her, moving some stray curls behind her ears.

"Caroline, Klaus Mikaelson is dead. My real name is Lucien Castle, and I am Klaus' half-brother," he confessed in a tight voice.

"W-wh-what?" she stuttered, hoping she'd heard wrong.

"You need to help me, darling. You need to continue making everyone believe that you are Klaus' widow and after some time you and I can really get married."

Caroline widened her eyes and looked at him in disbelief, shaking her head, overwhelmed by his confession. "Are - are you crazy?" she asked with angry tears.

"Darling, no. Klaus would've wounded up dead eventually, he has many enemies and his fortune would've been left in the hands of his siblings and they're all idiots, none capable enough to deal with such responsibility! They would've squandered it all in a matter of months!"

"I don't understand anything," she whispered, shaking her head in denial, repeating the words softly as if doing so would help her understand some of it.

Lucien looked at her and tried explaining again; knowing this was a lot for her to take in. "Darling all you need to understand right now is that you are now Niklaus Mikaelson's widow. We never signed a prenup, remember?"

She nodded, recalling the time they'd discussed that detail.

"Well then, by law you will inherit everything. And once you own everything we will let an appropriate amount of time pass by and then we can start our life together" he said hugging her as if he hadn't just confessed to using her to his advantage.

Caroline gasped as everything clicked in her head. She pushed him away, "You are insane! Do you really think that I will help you with something like this?" she shouted, hitting him in the chest with angry tears. "You lied to me, you used me! How could you do this to me?!" she spat. "You tricked me! It was you wasn't it?! You killed him, didn't you? It was you." she said upset, fighting his hold on her.

"Of course not, I swear to you that I played no role in his death. Niklaus had a lot of enemies. It was only a matter of time before one of them succeeded in killing him."

"I don't believe you! I don't believe you! You killed him!"

"Shut up! That scumbag didn't deserve to live! I already told you that they tried killing him several times! Sooner or later he was going to die. I simply took advantage of the situation," he snapped, still keeping a hold on her.

"Let me go, let me go! Don't touch me! How could you do this to me?! You took advantage of me, of my love. You manipulated me, you lied to me." Her eyes were wild with despair, her heart broken into millions of pieces.

"Because I wanted to share everything with you! That's why!"

She pushed him away holding her arms out to add space between them. "Don't touch me" she spat with rage.

Lucien nodded and stepped away from her, giving her space. "I swear to you that I didn't kill him," he repeated calmly.

"But you still lied to me! You lied to everyone! And if you knew someone was going to kill him then you should've done something to stop it! You should've warned him!"

"I already told you that what happened was an accident," he argued.

Caroline rolled her eyes and wiped some tears from her face, "yes, an accident that was very convenient for you! What would've happened if he didn't die, huh?" She asked crossing her arms with attitude.

"But he did! And now we're both involved and we have to see this out!" he reasoned, trying to make her understand that this was their only option.

"I won't keep up with your little game. Klaus! Or Lucien! Or whatever the hell your real name is!" she shouted. "I'm going to tell them everything. That you planned all of this and that you killed him!" she shouted angrily.

"Do that and you and your sister will end up in prison," he told her venomously. He hadn't wanted to rely on harsh methods, but she was giving him no choice.

Caroline froze afraid of what he meant.

"I have everything arranged so that you and your sister look like the masterminds behind this. Tell me, did any of your friends ever meet me?" he asked with a vicious smile.

They hadn't. The realization hit her like a ton of bricks, no one in Mystic Falls had ever met him. No one. Suddenly his insistence in maintaining their relationship private made perfect sense. He'd planned for this. He'd prepared for the possibility of her refusing to help him.

"If you tell anyone, I will deny meeting you before today and they'll believe me, Caroline. I have enough money to get out of this, but you don't. Besides, who do you think they'll trust, huh? Someone they've known for years or the stranger they've known for less than a day?"

Caroline stood there in silence with tears streaming down her face, knowing he was right. No one would believe her over him.

"I do not wish to harm you, darling, so don't make me do it," he told her taking a few steps in her direction.

She watched him get closer with fear, her heart empty of any love she'd ever felt for him, she hated that she'd been blind to the monster that he kept hidden behind the facade of a kind man. "Why me? Why did you choose me? Why not find somebody else? Somebody willing to do this?" she asked him with a serious face, tears still rolling down her cheeks.

Lucien grabbed her by the waist and pulled her towards him forcefully "Because I want you. I love you," he told her passionately "and because I knew you deserved better than Mystic Falls."

He leaned in to try and kiss her, but Caroline moved away from him again, causing him to let out an annoyed breath.

"Don't force me to do this. Please. I won't say anything, just let me go home," she pleaded.

"That is no longer an option, darling. Now tell me, are you going to be a good girl and do what I say?" he asked her, caressing her cheek.

She nodded with a scared look in her eyes. Lucien looked at her and wiped away her tears, "Perfect. Now go explain everything to Davina and make sure she doesn't say anything she shouldn't. You don't have anything to worry about, everything is taken care of, you just have to sit tight and let me fix everything" he told her. "Go talk to your sister and don't do anything stupid."

Lucien watched her leave, confident that her anger would subside and that he would be able to get her to accept her role. Thanks to him she would become extremely rich, she would no longer be stuck in that annoying town, she would be able to travel and see the world… so no, he was not worried. Caroline Forbes will forgive him, of that he was sure.

* * *

Caroline laid on the edge of the bed, crying, still appalled by everything Lucien had confessed.

That is how Davina had found her.

Caroline had always been an optimistic and cheerful person that brought up the spirits of those around her so, yes, it was definitely painful for Davina to find her like that.

The young girl felt useless, impotent. She still assumed her sister's tears were for Klaus' death. She wanted nothing more than to bring back the smile that she loved so much, but she knew that would be impossible for some time, so she did the only thing she knew how to do… she hugged her big sister.

"Care, I know that you loved him, but you need to calm down, this is not good for you."

Caroline stood up and wiped her tears taking a deep breath to control her breathing.

"Klaus is not dead," she whispered making Davina look at her with concern. "Well, he is dead. What I mean is, I, I didn't marry Klaus, I- I- I married the other one, the- the half-brother, the one named Lucien."

Davina stared at her sister in bewilderment, her eyes nearly popping out of their sockets as Caroline recounted everything Lucien had revealed.

* * *

A nurse walked through the stuffy corridor of the clinic completing her usual rounds, bored by the dull color scheme on the walls, desperate for her shift to end. She entered the next room on her list and noticed the patient rousing from unconsciousness and hurriedly walked out towards the reception desk to inform the on-call Doctor.

"Doctor, the patient in room 14 is waking up," she reported watching the doctor grab the patient's chart and walk down the hall towards the room.

"Is this the man they found last night?" he asked.

"Yes, doctor, he was badly injured… he had several broken ribs, a broken arm, and a concussion. He's been unconscious this entire time so we still don't know who he is or how he ended up in that ravine" she said walking towards the room the patient was in. As they walked in they witnessed the patient trying and failing to sit up; his ribs still heavily bruised.

"Where am I," he coughed in pain.

"Sir, you're in the hospital. You appear to have been in an accident, do you remember what happened? Can you tell us your name?" the doctor asked him.

The patient, disoriented and confused, groaned in pain as he coughed. The nurse handed him a glass of water to help clear his throat. "I was driving and the truck, it- it hit me and I lost control," he whispered.

Everything hurt; his body ached and there was a pounding in his head that made him lose focus.

"Sir can you tell us your name?" the doctor asked him again.

He closed his eyes, remaining silent for several seconds as if having trouble remembering the answer to that question.

"Klaus," he finally groaned, "Klaus Mikaelson."

* * *

 **Thank you.**


	4. Dead Man Walking

I am truly blown away by the support this story has received so far. Thank you so much to those of you who have taken the time to follow, favorite and/or review. You are all wonderful.

This chapter is longer than the rest and it's the first one with Klaroline interactions so I'm super excited for all of you to read it. Please let me know what you all think :)

*As always, I do not own TVD or TO, nor do I own Sortilegio, all credit reserved to the respective owners.*

Hope you enjoy xx

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Dead Man Walking**

"Lying can never save us from another lie."

\- Vaclav Havel

* * *

The Mikaelson manor loomed proudly behind it's iron gates, gates that hid the most beautiful garden Caroline had ever seen; it extended to the back of the property, oak trees lined the edge of the driveway and a slope of elegant green shrubs spread out throughout the lawn, ending at the brim of the pool terrace. The back followed a similar design, but stood out the most thanks to the small lake accompanied by a wooden bridge that crossed in the middle, giving the garden a vintage atmosphere.

Caroline took it all in, mesmerized by the beauty of it all. She'd always dreamed of living in a house like this and in different circumstances she would be elated to be here, but how could she feel that way now? She was only here because of Lucien's macabre plan, a plan that apparently made her the owner of the Mikaelson business and this property along with god knows how many others and Lucien expected her to just accept everything and then hand it over to him. That had been his goal all along, everything had been a lie, he used her simply to get what he wanted and was now forcing her to be his accomplice, threatening her sister's life if she refused to comply. The heartbreak she'd felt the night before was now gone and replaced by anger towards herself, towards her stupidity and naivety. How in the hell had she been so blind to Lucien's true intentions? How?

She didn't know, but she did know that it would never happen again.

Last night as she rehashed her conversation with Lucien, she'd seen the fear invade Davina, the tears that had spilled down her face had broken Caroline's heart more than Lucien's betrayal ever could. Her sister was the most important person in her life and the fact that her bad decisions were the cause of her fears was unbearable, which is why she needed to do something. Anything. Davina had suggested they say the truth and she agreed, except the only problem was that Lucien was right, the Mikaelson's wouldn't believe two strangers that mysteriously entered their lives over someone they considered a brother, especially not without proof.

She was deep in her thoughts when she spotted the butler walking in her direction, "Mam, you rose from your sleep very early" he commented politely, looking towards the grandfather clock in the foyer that was barely a few minutes after six.

"Yes, I wasn't able to sleep much." She replied distantly, still trying to come up with solutions in her head.

"I understand mam. What happened was a tragedy, Mr. Klaus did not deserve to leave this world so soon" he said sadly.

"Did you care for him?" Based on the description that Lucien had given her, Klaus was cruel and a lout, someone that would inspire fear in those around him, so the respect and admiration she could hear in Pete's voice was very surprising.

"Of course, mam! All of us here respected and cared for Mr. Klaus and we are all saddened by his death, he was a wonderful boss."

"He- he was good ?" She asked, curious to learn more about him from someone that hadn't spend the last couple of months filling her head with lies.

"Yes, but I'm sure you had the chance to know him better than the rest of us. Mr. Klaus had a tough personality, but he was a good man."

The affection was obvious in Pete's voice, he spoke of him with fondness, like one would speak of family. Caroline could only assume that the man had been working for the Mikaelsons long enough to grow attached to them, he'd probably been around since they were young.

"Are there any pictures of him?"

The words left her mouth before she could think them through and Pete looked at her surprised by the request.

"Of when he was young? I've never seen any…" Caroline added biting her inner cheek, hoping he wouldn't think the request to be an odd one.

He didn't.

And so, she was now in a small library holding a navy blue album filled with pictures of the Mikaelson family. Pete stayed beside her, pointing out certain photos and sharing the stories behind them. She'd been right to assume that Pete had been with the family for a long time, he'd been at their service since before Freya's birth.

She also wasn't surprised to discover that Lucien had lied to her again; he'd made Niklaus out to be a monster, but Pete had painted a different image of him. His stories painted Klaus as a fair, charming, and protective man. She learned of his passion for art, of his hobbies, and of his dedication to helping and caring for those he loved. He sounded nothing like what Lucien had described.

Pete eventually excused himself, allowing her to look through the photos in peace and she did, slowly flipping through the pages, her guilt intensifying with every image of him that she saw. She'd never met the man, never even heard of him and yet she was in his home tarnishing his name, pretending to be the grieving wife when in reality she had married his killer. A murdered that was living under his roof, pretending to be a grieving brother while plotting against the rest of his family.

Lucien was the real monster here, and she sure as hell wasn't going to sit tight and do nothing. She was Caroline Forbes goddammit and she would not go down without a fight!

She closed the album she'd been looking at and placed it back on the shelf, rushing out of the library to go wake Davina, a long to-do list already forming in her head.

* * *

"Lucien is right," Caroline said, pacing back and forth throughout the guest room Davina had slept in, " the Mikaelson's won't believe us without proof, he is family to them and our word won't be enough and I refuse to do nothing while Lucien gets away with murdering his brother and framing us!" Her mind was running a mile a minute now, "There must be something we can do, someone we can talk to! The judge for starters, he's the one that married us! He saw his face, he can confirm it was Lucien I married. And the photographer! He must have all the pictures! God, why didn't I think of all this earlier?!" Her pacing stopped, a lightbulb going off in her head.

"What is it Care?" Davina asked, recognizing her sisters "planning face," it was the face she made anytime she came up with an idea to solve a problem..

She sighed, facing her sister with a weary look, "I need to go back to Mystic Falls and I… I need you to stay here."

Davina's eyes widened, the thought of remaining alone in this house full of strangers (and Lucien), clearly not settling well with her, something that didn't go unnoticed by Caroline.

"Look Dee," she said in a soft tone, taking a hold of her sisters hand to calm her, " I'm not comfortable with the idea anymore than you are, but if we both leave, Lucien would figure out what we're up to and find a way to stop us… I just need some time to try and find some concrete evidence that Lucien was the one to plan this whole thing, it's the only way to convince them that we are innocent. "

"Okay, so you want me to stay here and make sure Lucien doesn't find out you left?"

Caroline nodded.

Davina thought about it, her hesitation obvious.

"If you're not comfortable we don't…"

"No," she interrupted, "you're right, this might be our only chance to get out of this. Go, I'll stay here and try to make sure Lucien doesn't notice that you're gone."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," she nodded, "I will be fine, don't worry."

Caroline nodded her head, still unsure, she didn't think Freya or her siblings capable of hurting Davina, but she couldn't say the same about Lucien. If that monster was willing to kill his own brother than he would definitely not think twice about killing someone that wasn't family.

Davina was right, though, this was the only chance they had.

"I promise you that I will be back as soon as possible," she said, wrapping her arms around Davina in a reassuring hug.

* * *

The ringing in his head felt as if someone were steering a screwdriver through his skull, it was driving him crazy. He rubbed his eyes annoyed of his blurred vision; memories of an explosion flashing through his brain, leaving him confused and overwhelmed.

What the hell happened to him?

How long had he been here?

Did his siblings know where he was?

He patted himself, feeling the hospital gown, realizing his belongings would've most likely been lost in the accident, his phone included.

"Doctor, I," he grimaced as he tried and failed to sit up, "I need to call my family, they're probably worried about me."

"Of course," the doctor nodded, handing him the phone that was out of his reach.

Klaus took it and began dialing the only number he knew by heart, hoping one of his siblings would pick up.

"Hello, who is this?" he asked, confused, hearing an unfamiliar voice greet him. "Sorry I- I think I have the wrong number," he said before ending the call. He furrowed his brows checking the number and redialing, having the same result.

The doctor looked at him worried, if he was having trouble remembering a phone number then his concussion was probably worse than they initially believed; he most likely needed a CT, unfortunately, their clinic was underfunded so they didn't have that kind of technology, so he would need to get those procedures done at a different facility.

Klaus carefully dialed a different number, his face scrunching up, unsure if the new number was the correct one. The ringing in his ears was still present, its repetitive tone affecting his ability to focus, it made him feel out of control and he hated it. Being in this clinic surrounded by strangers was definitely not helping his case, he really hoped he was dialing the right number because he needed to get out of here as soon as possible.

* * *

A soft symphony could be heard around the mansion as Rebekah played some notes on the piano, Klaus had bought it for her on her 14th birthday… he'd always been such an extravagant gifter. She smiled, remembering how happy she'd been when she came home to see it wrapped up in a pink bow and how Klaus had spent hours teaching her to play. Those were the memories she would cherish, not their fights or their disagreements (because there were plenty of those as well) but the good times, the moments when her and her brother were both happy.

She was interrupted from her thoughts when the landline began to ring incessantly, she ignored it, waiting for one of the servants to answer it, but they seemed otherwise occupied since the incessant ringing continued. She paused her playing with a groan and hurried towards the phone.

"Hello," she greeted in an irritated tone.

"Bekah… is that you?" Klaus asked with relieve.

His sister froze, her heart speeding up not understanding how in the hell she was hearing his voice. "Nik…" she whispered with wide eyes. "Is- is -is it really you? Where are you calling from?" she asked as the tears began flowing down her cheeks.

Klaus grimaced with a smile, "of course it's me Rebekah, who else would it be? I'm calling from a hospital near the glen" he told her.

"But… but you're dead," she whispered, "we buried you." _I must be going crazy, how the hell am I talking to my dead brother right now,_ she thought.

"Bekah, what are you talking about?" Klaus asked confused after hearing his sister's whispers. "Where's Freya? Let me speak to her."

"Okay," he heard her say in a small voice.

Rebekah took off running shouting for her sister, "Freya! Freya! Where are you?" she yelled crying.

"Rebekah, what the bloody hell is going on? Why are you crying? What happened?" Freya asked with a concerned expression, not sure what had caused such reaction from her sister.

"Freya, Nik is on the phone" she sobbed handing the phone to her.

"Rebekah, what do you mean? This is not funny. Do not joke around like that!" she told her with wide eyes.

"It's not a joke, I swear it's him, it's him," she said with a teary smile.

Freya took the phone from her hands with anticipation "Hello?" she asked.

"Sister, mind explaining why our little sister thinks I'm dead," he asked with a groan, the pain in his rib intensifying as he tried to sit up.

Freya gasped, paralyzed in her spot realizing Rebekah had been saying the truth.

He was alive! Her brother was alive.

* * *

Caroline felt the cold wind stroking her skin as she made her way back to her house in disappointment; her entire trip had been useless. Completely useless. She opened her door with aggression, tears of rage forming in her pupils once again. It seemed like crying was the only thing she did lately.

She felt… powerless and angry. So, so, angry.

She slammed the door in frustration, alerting the men inside to her arrival.

"About goddamn time you get here," Lucien shouted from the couch, where he was comfortably lounging, like he had a right to be inside her home.

She jolted at the sound of his voice, "how did you know I was here?" She knew it hadn't been Davina to tell him, which only meant he was having her followed.

"Did you really think that I wouldnt find out that you left New Orleans? Caroline, what part of 'I've been planning this for an offly long time' did you not understand? Did you really think I didn't expect this from you?"

"You knew I would come," she whispered.

"Of course I did," he said matter of factly. "I know you better than you think I do. I knew you would come back to this wretched town and try to find something to use against me. I'm sure by now you've realized that thing doesn't exist."

His voice was cocky, he was clearly proud of himself for successfully covering his tracks.

"You paid them all off, didn't you?" she asked as she wiped away the traitorous tears that rolled down her cheeks against her will. "The judge! The photographer! The witnesses! Everyone! They were all a part of your disgusting little game weren't they?"

He looked away, the hurt and betrayal in her eyes pulling at his heart strings.

"And the pictures of us…"

His constant refusal to take pictures suddenly made a lot of sense; he didn't want her to have any evidence of their relationship. She had managed to convince him to take a few, though, and she'd printed them and hung them in the wall above her bed. She could recall being grateful about having done that days later after losing her phone. She wouldn't be surprised to learn that he'd been the one to take her phone to make sure those photos didn't present a problem for him. She was also sure that if she walked into her room right now, the space above her bed would be empty.

"I burned them all," he confessed, "I couldn't leave any loose ends."

The way in which he admitted it, so… nonchalantly, as if those things had meant nothing to him, only buried the knife deeper into her back.

"Get your stuff, we're leaving."

She had half the thought to refuse, but she quickly pushed it away remembering that Davina was all alone in New Orleans.

She moved to grab her things when she noticed new frames laying on her living room bureau. Frames that held pictures of her and who she now knew to be the real Klaus Mikaelson.

She grabbed one and turned to face Lucien…

He shrugged, "it would've been strange if you and Klaus had no pictures together."

She made a move of throwing the frame, but he quickly took a hold of her arm to stop her.

"I hate you. I hate you! You monster!" She shouted as she struggled against his hold.

"Calm down and grab your things!" Lucien exclaimed. "There's a plane waiting for us in the airport, we need to get back to New Orleans immediately."

He watched her storm off as he placed the frame back in its place, still amazed at how real the image of his brother standing behind Caroline with his arms wrapped around her waist seemed. The photographer had truly outdone himself, no one would suspect the photos were a montage, his plan really was unfolding perfectly, soon he would have everything he wanted.

* * *

Stefan arrived at the hospital and immediately approached the reception desk to ask for information. Freya's frantic call had been worrisome until she'd finally been able to share the good news about Klaus; he was alive, his friend was alive.

The doctor in charge introduced himself and began explaining the circumstances of Klaus' arrival as he led him down a small corridor towards the room he was in. He walked in and saw his friend all bandaged up and trying to sit up on the bed.

Hearing Freya say he was alive was astonishing, but seeing him with his own eyes was completely different… Stefan rushed to his side taking in all of his bruises and injuries. "Nik, you're okay," he told him, bending down to give him a brotherly hug. "You gave us all a really big scare..." Stefan told him shaking his hand softly to avoid hurting his broken arm.

"Stefan, mate, please tell me you are here to take me home," he said with a painful laugh.

"We should make sure you're okay first, you look terrible…"

"Physically he's fine, but we are afraid the trauma to his head may be more severe since he's experiencing blackouts and is having trouble remembering certain things. I'd recommend you request a CT as soon as possible" the doctor informed them.

"Is it safe to transfer him?"

"Yes, I see no issue with that. I'll prepare the required paperwork and bring it in a few minutes."

"Thank you, Doctor," Klaus told him with a soft nod.

"Nik how are you feeling?" Stefan asked as soon as the doctor left the room.

"I'm in a lot of pain, but you heard him, it's nothing serious," Klaus said with a groan.

"When Freya called I couldn't believe it... We all believed you to be dead, the dental records confirmed that the body was yours, how could they make a mistake of this magnitude? We will have to look into that, but we can worry about that later!" The words were leaving his mouth at an incredible speed, his brain clearly working on overdrive.

Before Kalus could speak, Stefan continued, "I can imagine how happy everyone will be to find out you're okay. And your wife...she will be elated," Stefan told him, "which by the way, I still don't understand why you didn't tell me about her!"

Klaus laughed, looking at Stefan incredulously "What wife, mate? You know damn well I don't have one. What are you going on about?" he asked with a puzzled smile.

"Nik... I'm talking about Caroline," he said with a serious face.

"Caroline?" he asked, his smile gone and replaced by disconcerted expression.

"For goodness sake Klaus, we all met her. She was at the funeral" he told him.

"Look, Stefan, I understand that I'm having trouble remembering some things, but I wouldn't forget that I have a wife. When did I supposedly marry this... Caroline?" he asked, searching his brain for any recollection of her name, but finding none.

"A day before your trip to the glen, in Mystic Falls," Stefan told him with a questioning look.

Klaus widened his eyes, "no, that's not true."

 _Or was it?_ He questioned, trying to remember the last couple of days, but giving up when his attempts worsened the screeching pain in his head. "I can't think straight," he hissed in pain roughly holding his fists against his head.

Stefan looked at his friend worriedly, his head injury must be more severe than the doctor predicted because how the hell could his friend forget something as important as getting married? How?

* * *

"Caroline, please don't hold this against me," Lucien pleaded as they drove towards the mansion. He reached over and took a hold of her hand, "I love you, I really do."

"Yeah, well I hate you," she spat, pulling her hand out of his grasp and scooting as far away from him as the limited space in his car allowed.

"I don't believe you."

She rolled her eyes, she could care less if he believed her, she hated him and nothing was going to change that. Nothing. "For how long am I supposed to stay here and play along like a mindless puppet."

Lucien sighed, frustrated, clearly, she was going to make this unnecessarily difficult. Was it really too much to ask that she realize that everything he did would benefit her as well? He'd taken her out of her insipid town and offered her a life of luxury and power in a silver platter, why couldn't she simply be grateful? It wasn't like she had to do much anyway, he'd already taken care of the difficult portion of his plan, now she simply needed to stay in New Orleans until the Mikaelson fortune became hers, and shortly after he would take her wherever her heart desired. Why couldn't she do this for him?

God! Why the hell had he chosen the girl with the strongest morals and values to be a part of this? He should've known she wouldn't agree to this as easily as he hoped, but oh well, it was too late to question his decisions. "You will stay here for as long as necessary," he said in a biting tone, leaving no room for argument. Caroline would do as he said and that was final.

* * *

Klaus stopped by at Grayson's hospital after arriving back in New Orleans and after a thorough examination, Dr. Gilbert had allowed him to return home. Given the circumstances though, he'd recommended a few additional tests to rule out any other internal injuries. The fact that Klaus was still having trouble remembering events prior to the accident, like his wedding, was very disconcerting. Grayson believed it might be temporary and that his memories might resurface as soon as he laid eyes on Caroline again.

Klaus had doubts, however, for how would he remember something he was sure never occurred?

"Nik, you seriously don't remember? We were all shocked to find out the news, but we saw the marriage certificate and I can corroborate that it is legit… you are married to her," Stefan told him seriously.

"I don't understand, I seriously don't understand," Klaus said, rubbing his face, overwhelmed by his muddled thoughts .

"I'm sure Grayson is right and you'll remember it all as soon as you see her. Right now you're still confused and exhausted," Stefan said in an attempt to calm his friend down.

Klaus nodded, but Stefan could tell that he was still unconvinced.

Stefan helped him out of the car as soon as they arrived at the mansion and together they walked up the stairs into the foyer where his siblings were anxiously waiting.

Klaus was enveloped by a pair of arms as soon as he walked through the door, Rebekah running to him with happy tears in her eyes. "Nik I'm so glad you're okay, I knew you couldn't be dead" she cried. He returned the hug but grimaced when he felt her squeeze too tight and hurt his broken arm. "Bekah, you're hurting my arm" he whispered in pain.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry Nik," she said with a worried look. Klaus wiped her tears and smiled at her. "It's okay Beks, I'm very happy to see you as well." He patted her head, smiling and pulling her in for another hug.

Freya went up to him next "Brother, I can't believe you're actually here," she said with teary eyes "don't ever scare me like that again" she told him smacking his good arm. Klaus laughed and hugged his older sister, "I'll try my best, sister" he told her with a smile.

He moved on to Kol who was looking at him with his usual playful smirk. "Man, Nik… you look awful" he said laughing. Klaus hugged his younger brother laughing with him. He not only looked awful, he felt it too.

"Where's Lucien?" Niklaus asked, surprised not to see him there.

"None of us have been able to reach him. We've been calling him all day, but his phone seems to be off. Oh man, he's going to be so relieved to see that you're okay," Freya told him with a smile.

Klaus returned the smile and walked towards the couch to sit down, already tired of standing for so long. Stefan had quickly explained Klaus' condition and excused himself, leaving him alone to converse with his siblings.

They joined him on the couch, recounting everything that happened after his accident and supposed death.

"How could you marry someone without telling us about it? We are your family Nik, you can't just go off and do things like this." Rebekah rambled, needing an answer to the question her and her siblings had been asking themselves since the moment they found out about Klaus' secret wedding.

"I don't know what to say Bekah, I don't know why I chose to hide this from all of you." He was frustrated, tired of trying to make sense of all this absurd information.

"Maybe you were drunk off your arse and forgot all about it, it would explain why you can't remember any of it," Kol suggested, sarcastically.

"Kol," Freya chastised.

Klaus simply rolled his eyes and decided to ignore his brothers comment. "Where is she- Caroline?" he asked, curious as to why he still hadn't seen her.

"She told Pete she was going for a walk this morning, but she still hasn't returned… she still has no idea that you're alive, we haven't talked to her." Freya told him..

"What is she like?" he asked, curious to know more about his supposed wife.

"She's very quiet and keeps to herself, or maybe she's just not comfortable around us, she's only known us for like 2 days," Freya told him with a shrug. "She wanted to leave right away, but I convinced her to stay to prevent another scandal. By the way brother, why did you lie to her about your status?" She explained further when Klaus gave her a baffled expression, "The girl had no idea that you were wealthy… she said you never mentioned it, that you told her you were a business analyst for a construction company."

 _More lies_ , he thought, analyzing everything he knew so far and trying to remember why he would feel the need to be so secretive and dishonest. Why would he marry someone without telling his siblings? Granted, he'd never been very open about his personal relationships, but he would've at least told Stefan, right?

None of this made any sense.

"I don't know… I- I can't remember. Maybe I wanted her to want me for who I am and not what I have?"

His siblings eventually retired to their bedrooms and left him alone in the family room, he was heading up the stairs, but decided it'd be best to stay downstairs until the girl arrived. He entered the study and found the newspaper articles about his death and his secret marriage, he read through them and saw the picture they'd published of her. She was beautiful, he couldn't deny that, but he felt no familiarity with her face, in fact, he could swear that he'd never seen her in his life.

* * *

Caroline stormed out of the car in a hurry, desperate to get away from Lucien. She pushed the main door of the manor and it swung open with ease, the heat from the fireplace an immediate relief from the cold air outside. Most of the lights were off and there was no one in the main room, the silence feeling oddly comforting and peaceful. She was halfway up the stairs when the sound of a voice startled her.

"Caroline?" a male voice questioned.

She'd been so distracted she hadn't noticed his figure in the shadows studying her with curiosity.

She froze, the tiny hairs on her arms standing upright, she slowly turned to acknowledge him, her eyes widening and her face losing all its color as she saw his now familiar face. He had a couple of bruises and cuts, but it was him, the man from the pictures she'd seen earlier, the real Klaus Mikaelson. Alive.

Klaus stared at her, curiously, finding her reaction peculiar. "Come," he said softly.

She felt her body turn cold, and her legs begin to shake… a small gasp of shock escalating to pants of panic at the realization that he wasn't dead. And although a big part of her was glad that Lucien's scheme had failed, the other worried for what this meant, different scenarios crossing her mind, leaving her paralyzed in fear with no idea of what to do.

"Caroline," Freya said in a calm voice, noticing the bewildered look on the blondes face. "It's him, you aren't hallucinating," she said, going up a couple of stairs to reach her.

Caroline was stunned, shaking as tears ran down her cheeks. She felt Freya take a hold of her arm and help her go down the stairs towards the couch, but she didn't dare look at her, too busy staring at the blonde man standing in the middle of the foyer, watching her attentively.

"Here, sit down." Freya said, urging her to take a seat on the couch. "She must be in shock," she whispered towards brother with a shrug.

"Klaus called from the hospital earlier today, the body they found belonged to a man that was wandering around, Nik actually flew out of the windshield with the impact, he has a couple of fractures and bruises, but other than that he's fine." She explained softly.

Caroline was about to respond when to they were all distracted by the sound of the front door being opened. Lucien stepped inside in a hurry, clearly with the intention of catching up to Caroline, but he froze against the door completely bewildered by the scene before him: his brother, alive and breathing, staring at a petrified blonde with suspicion. He felt a slight terror invade him; he had not planned for this. He'd imagined many outcomes to his plan, but this one had never even crossed his mind, he'd never for a moment considered the possibility that his brother would survive.. Klaus was supposed to stay dead, it was the only way to guarantee the success of his plan. What the hell was he supposed to do now? How would he get out of this?

He stood there in disbelief, his mind already trying to find a way to accommodate to this unexpected turn of events, until he realized he'd been silent for far too long and composed himself, masking his fear, hoping that his earlier threats had been enough to keep Caroline from blabbing her mouth.

"Lucien where have you been? We've been calling all day to tell you the good news!" Freya's voice was excited as she approached him. "Nik is okay, he called us this morning from the hospital" she explained, noticing the look of utter shock on his face. She gave him a quick hug and then returned to Caroline's side, who had yet to move from her spot in the couch.

"Caroline are you okay? You look like you're in a trance or something… my brother is okay, he's alive, aren't you excited?" She studied her face inquisitively, not understanding the lack of enthusiasm in the blonde. She understood her initial fright, any normal person would react that way upon seeing a person they believed to be dead, but wouldn't that fright be replaced by delight at the realization that the person you loved wasn't dead after all? Yes, it should. Why then was the girl trembling and avoiding her brothers eyes with all her might? It made no sense.

"Yes, I'm very glad he's okay" Caroline whispered, glancing up at him. And she meant it, she really did, knowing that Lucien had failed in ridding the earth of his own brother filled her with a sense of… relief, but that relief was overshadowed by the fear and anticipation of what his survival meant for her, for her sister. She discreetly glanced at Lucien with hostility, taking in his nervous form, he'd been so sure that he was prepared for anything, but clearly he hadn't been ready for this. And while a part of her wished to mock him for this complication, she couldn't, not when her freedom, and Davina's, were at stake.

Her reaction left Klaus unsettled… he, like Freya, didn't understand why she seemed more frightened than excited about his survival. Her hands were shaking, tears were uncontrollably streaming down her pale cheeks, and she was avoiding his gaze like her life depended on it. She was acting like he was a stranger, like she'd never seen him before, which shouldn't be the case since they were married.

"It's the excitement and surprise, right?" Klaus suggested, curious to know how she would interact with him once her shock waned.

"Yes," she whispered.

Klaus looked at her suspiciously and then at Lucien who was still standing near the door, staring at him with disbelief. "Okay, well, I'm going to retire to my bedroom. It's been a long day and my body aches," he said, looking at Caroline one more time.

Lucien forced himself to react and walked to Niklaus giving him a hug "I'm glad to see you're okay, brother" he said, taking advantage of the opportunity to look at Caroline with warning, making sure she knew to keep her mouth shut. She looked at him with complete fear; nervous tears still streaming down her face.

Klaus broke the embrace and gave his brother a weary smile. Something fishy was going on and he didn't know why but he has a feeling Lucien had something to do with it, he'd have to keep a close eye on him.

He looked in her direction again, noticing she'd calmed down, her breathing a bit more normal, but the sheer look of fear still present on her face. He couldn't help but feel like he was missing a piece of the puzzle: if she really was his wife, then why was she acting so strange? He needed to find out what the hell was going on.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked.

"Yes," she whispered.

"Can you stand?"

She nodded.

"Will you come up with me then?"

She nodded again, taking the hand he offered, confused as to why he hadn't said or done anything that compromised her. He should be accusing her, he should be denying their marriage and have her arrested! He should not be standing there all calm and attentive as if her presence was normal. It made absolutely no sense, which only surged her worry and fear.

Klaus took her hand, gently, her shaking did nothing to veto his assumptions. The girl was afraid, there was no other way to describe her reaction. He wrapped his arm around her waist to keep her steady and slowly led her up the stairs towards his bedroom, both silent and deep in thought. Caroline was analyzing everything about his reaction and dreading their next conversation while Klaus came to a significant realization, the one thing he was sure of since his accident. He had never met Caroline Forbes.

* * *

Turmoil crossed Lucien's features as he watched Klaus lead a trembling Caroline towards the second floor. Dozens of questions currently flashing through his head, the main one being why Klaus hadn't denied his marriage to Caroline. His brother was impulsive by nature, if he knew something he would've already said it, but he hadn't which meant that there was something else going on. He immediately cursed Tristan, what good was it to have a lackey when the idiot wasn't even competent enough to give him a heads-up about Klaus being alive?

"Freya is everything okay?" he asked as soon as Klaus and Caroline were out of sight

"He doesn't remember marrying her…" she whispered.

"What do you mean he doesn't remember?"

"He took a hard blow to the head during the accident, as a consequence he's experiencing memory blackouts," she said, still very confused at the peculiar scene she'd just witnessed. She understood that Caroline was in shock, but why hadn't she demonstrated any joy at seeing her brother alive, she hadn't even smiled, she thought.

"Is it permanent?"

"No, Grayson said it should be temporary, but he will be running a couple of tests just to make sure," she told him, snapping out of her thoughts.

Lucien nodded, now understanding Klaus' behavior. This is good, he thought. Klaus' amnesia was a blessing in disguise, it gave him time to come up with a new plan. Now he just had to make sure that Caroline was aware of Klaus' condition before she ruined everything.

* * *

Klaus opened the door to his bedroom, stepping aside to allow Caroline in. Now that she was calmer and he could get a better look at her he had to admit that the photograph in the newspaper did not do her justice, she was... stunning. She had a slim and toned physique and was taller than most of the women he'd dated, yet still shorter than him; her light blonde hair wavy and reaching past her shoulders. She had an unblemished complexion, almond-shaped eyes, rosy lips and he could notice soft freckles dispersed throughout her cheekbones, but none of those features were as bewitching as her bright blue-green eyes that reminded him of the sea… they were captivating, it was impossible not to get lost in them.

Caroline cleared her throat softly, clearly uncomfortable with his staring. She stepped inside his bedroom looking around like a scared lamb on the way to a slaughterhouse.

"Are you okay, love?" he asked, scrutinizing her odd behavior.

She nodded softly and continued to look around, obviously unfamiliar with the room.

"Would you like a drink?"

"No, thanks" she murmured, fidgeting with her hands, still anticipating the moment he would confront her and expose her lies. Lucien had described him as a cruel man, enough to gain enemies willing to kill him. The second she saw him she expected him to retaliate against her, but instead, he stood calm and collected behaving as if nothing was out of the ordinary, which only drove Caroline crazy.

"Do you think you could help me?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"Help you how?"

"Taking off my sling and shirt."

She hadn't seen it before since she'd been busy having a panic attack, hadn't even taken the time to look at him, really. But she now noticed how his arm was being held by a sling, probably due to a break. He had a thin bandage wrapped around his head and several bruises and cuts were visible on his face and arms. It was impossible not to notice other things, like his height, or his slim yet strong and toned build. His skin was a peach tone and his hair a dirty blonde with short unruly curls. He had a chiseled jaw, decorated by a soft scruff, thin pink lips and protruding eyes. He was attractive, she couldn't deny that, especially not when he had those alluring forest-green eyes.

She looked at him hesitantly before getting closer, she couldn't refuse to help him, he was being kind and actually looked like he was in pain. It was the least she could do after invading his life and going along with Lucien's ruse, albeit unwillingly, it didn't free her of guilt. She stepped closer, carefully reaching for the shoulder strap to loosen it, forgetting to keep his arm steady, she heard him hiss in pain as he held his arm which had slid down too quickly when she unfastened the sling.

"Did I hurt you?" she asked, her eyes wide with regret.

He grimaced. "I have a fractured rib" he informed her as she finished removing the sling and set it on the bed.

She gave him an apologetic look and began unbuttoning his shirt, cautious not to hurt him again.

"Careful, I have many more cuts on my back," his voice was tight, he was clearly in pain.

She undid the last button, the shirt spreading to reveal his torso. There were small cuts on his sides and a couple gauze bandages covering some of his injuries and yet she couldn't help but admire how fit he was, his abs toned but not excessively like those guys that lived in the gym.

Dammit, Caroline! Stop looking at him, she thought, taking a deep breath and slowly removing the shirt, placing it on his bed and picking up the sling to place it back on his arm..

"Can you help me again?" he asked looking towards his pants.

Caroline looked at him appalled, her blue-green eyes wide and hesitant. Klaus watched her swallow nervously.

"You- you're taking your pants off?" she questioned him with dismay.

Klaus chuckled, smirking flirtatiously, "I'd prefer to sleep without them," he told her causing her to look away shyly.

"What? Are you going to tell me that you've never seen me undressed?" he whispered playfully.

"I haven't," she told him seriously.

Klaus laughed, a real laugh this time and stepped closer to her biting his lip in amusement "Really?" he whispered "Then how would we have sex?" he asked with curiosity, "dressed?" he added, invading her personal space with a sarcastic smirk.

"We um… we've never done that before" she admitted, matter-of-factly.

"But we're married..." he argued in all seriousness, his brows furrowed in confusion.

"Yes, but only through the courthouse," she said looking back up at him.

"Wow, so I found myself an old fashioned woman," he said with amusement. Now, this he wasn't expecting… he'd 'married' a woman that was saving herself for marriage, and not just any marriage, a religious one. How… fascinating.

He stepped closer, caressing her cheek with the back of his hand. He noticed her exhale a nervous breath, his proximity was obviously unsettling her, she seemed unfamiliar with his touch, uncomfortable. Her reactions were not those of a happy and loving wife.

Their tense moment was interrupted by the sound of his door opening and loud footsteps, "Rebekah told me that you lost your memory and that you have no recollection of Caroline or your marriage to her."

"Say! You've always been an expert in ruining surprises" Klaus said turning to look at Lucien accusingly. "I would've preferred to inform my lovely wife of my condition when I thought it convenient," he said looking at her with a playful smile.

"Yes, I understand that, but I'm worried about you."

Klaus stared at him pointedly, clearly not buying his fake concern.

"And, I also came to let your wife know that her sister's been missing the entire day" Lucien informed them, looking directly at her in what appeared to be a familiar way. An observation that raised red flags in Klaus' mind. Why was his brother so comfortable around her? A woman he'd supposedly met the day before... it was suspicious, to say the least.

"What? What do you mean she's missing?" Caroline asked frantically moving away from Klaus and closer to Lucien.

"Will someone explain what the bloody hell is going on?" Klaus asked, pacing around them in frustration. "Now you're telling me there's a sister…" he mentioned confused.

"Don't worry about it," Lucien told him dismissively and looked at Caroline "that's why I want you to go with me so we can look for her."

"No! Wait a moment. First explain everything to me!" Klaus shouted, he was aggravated, he didn't like how Lucien was trying to dismiss him from the conversation as if he had no right to know the things happening in his own house.

Caroline walked towards him, "maybe something happened to Davina, maybe she got scared" Caroline told him, worriedly.

"Scared? Why would she be scared?"

"It's probably because Caroline left the house this morning without letting anyone know," Lucien explained.

"And if she left the house without informing anyone, how did you know about it?" he asked, irritated. Lucien was showing way too much interest in matters concerning Caroline and he needed to know why.

"Please, this is not the moment to argue. I just want to find my sister and make sure she's okay" Caroline said, looking at Klaus determinately, "please… she's my sister," she finished softly.

"Perfect," he nodded "Lucien, you go look for her sister and make sure she's alright" he looked at her next "and you, you are going to stay here with me" he told her, taking a hold of her arm.

"No," Caroline hissed angrily, surprising them both. "I'm going to look for my sister and don't you dare try to stop me" she said fiercely yanking her arm out of his hold and walking out of the room with rage.

Lucien looked at him warily before quickly following her out the door, not bothering to explain anything to his brother.

Klaus scoffed annoyed and grabbed the landline on his bedside table, dialing the extension for the gate, "Tony please make sure that my wife doesn't leave the premises under any circumstances, not even if Lucien is with her" he spat angrily.

He hadn't liked the way Lucien was acting or the familiarity between him and Caroline, something was definitely going on and he wouldn't rest until he figured out what it was.

* * *

"Oh how delightful! How is he? Is he badly hurt?"

Rebekah giggled at the excitement Tatia spoke with, it was warranted, considering she'd just delivered the great news about her favorite brother being alive, but it still amused her how over enthusiastic Tatia was about anything concerning her brother.

"He has a couple of broken ribs and several cuts and bruises, but other than that he appears to be fine. Well except for the amnesia…" Rebekah informed her, still a bit worried about the fact that her brother was having trouble remembering some things.

"Amnesia? Did he not recognize any of you?"

"No, he did, but he's having trouble remembering certain things" the blonde explained.

"Oh and what of his wife?" Tatia asked with feigned disinterest.

" Ugh, I have no idea where that wench is nor do I care."

She rolled her eyes, irritated with the simple reference to his brothers wife. She didn't know if it was the fake southern belle aura she gave off or the poor taste in fashion, but she did not like that blonde one bit. She opened her laptop and started browsing her favorite sites, the last couple of days had been stressful and there was no better therapy than a brand new wardrobe.

Tatia hummed at her response, "and did he ask about me?"

Her voice was smug, foolish enough to believe that she was important enough for Klaus to ask about her.

Rebekah laughed amusedly, "don't be daft, hun, you've never been that important to Nik."

"Don't be a bitch, Rebekah" she hissed.

"Well, it's the truth Tatia so it's time to find yourself a new man because my brother is no longer available. Be a dear while you're at it and find me someone as well."

Rebekah laughed when she heard Tatia huff with irritation before hearing the dial tone that signaled the call had ended. She loved pressing her buttons. Tatia is her friend, but her brother had never taken her seriously and it was time for the poor girl to move on.

* * *

Out in the garden behind some shrubs, quaking in fear, sat Davina. She'd been there for a while, hiding there soon after hearing of Klaus' survival, she'd tried leaving, intent on returning to Mystic Falls with her sister, but the man at the gate hadn't let her out. The worst thoughts crossed her mind while she sat out in the cold, thoughts that only intensified her fear. She wasn't sure how long she'd been sitting there, her phone was dead and she had no idea what time it was. She was amidst sobs when she heard Caroline calling out for her, she immediately got on her feet and ran towards her, throwing herself against her in a fierce hug, crying.

Caroline hugged her sister, rubbing her back and whispering apologies. Lucien caught up to them and as soon as Davina was more calm, Caroline began explaining everything about Klaus and his condition as they walked back to the mansion.

"Like your sister mentioned, Klaus has some sort of amnesia so he doesn't remember events prior to his accident. We got lucky! This buys us some time to think of something, meanwhile, you will both keep up the act and make sure that Klaus doesn't suspect a thing." He finished in a threatening tone.

"No," Caroline said defiantly.

He looked at her annoyed, "do you not understand the kind of man he is? He will ruin you without a second thought and send you both to prison, and need I remind you that if you choose to open your mouth no one would believe what you say," he said with malice.

Blind with rage Caroline raised her arm and went for a slap, but he caught it in the air and violently shook her. "You both need to shut up and do as I say, you will behave like you know him; let's be grateful that amidst all this chaos those blackouts of his served as a blessing."

Caroline opened and closed her mouth irritated, "I can't pretend to be his wife! I don't even know him. What if he- what if he tries to be intimate?" she asked indignantly.

He looked at her, contemplating the situation, "Look, at the moment he's injured so he won't try anything and afterwards just tell him that you're upset about him lying to you and then bring up a divorce" he told her.

She scoffed with a pitiful laugh, "Don't you think it's a bit absurd, childish, and ridiculous for me to ask for a divorce simply because he neglected to tell me that he was a billionaire?" she asked, stopping mid step to look at him with furrowed brows.

"Caroline, I don't have any other ideas right now, so just use that until we think of something better," he told her, resuming his walk up the stairs with them following close behind. All ignorant to the fact that Klaus had been watching their interaction with interest from his balcony.

* * *

Klaus entered the foyer and found Caroline standing next to a young girl, who he assumed was her sister. The girl was about Rebekah's age and carried an aura of innocence, she was shorter and had thick brunette curls that reached the middle of her back. She had peach skin, her brows were thicker, her lips fuller and her nose more broad. She too had soft freckles on her cheeks and although her eyes were thinner they had the same almond-shape and were a similar blue-green to Caroline's. The resemblance wasn't blatantly obvious, but if you looked closely you would see the similarities.

He was supposed to know this girl, but just like Caroline's, her face awoke no familiarity in him. She was a stranger. He was sure that he'd never met either of the Forbes girls before, sure that his marriage was a faux, but he couldn't tell them that, not if he wanted to discover who was responsible for this conspiracy. Instead, he will observe. Observe Caroline's behavior with him and those around him; there was no doubt in his mind that the mastermind behind all this had to be someone with access to his agenda and familiar with his signature, someone close to him, but who? That was the million dollar question.

"I assume you've found your sister," he told Caroline as he walked down the stairs.

"Yes, this is Davina," she told him walking forward with her sister beside her.

"Are you introducing her to me?" he asked confused. "I thought we'd met before?" he said with a smirk.

"Yes, but just in case you didn't remember her," she explained.

"Hi," the brunette greeted with a timid smile.

"Hi, mind telling us where you were?" he asked curiously.

"Um, I was just hanging out in one of the gardens waiting for Care to come back," she said softly.

Klaus smiled hearing no deception in the girl's voice. She was being honest.

"Okay, well, we're gonna go to sleep" Caroline stated, dismissively, heading towards the stairs with her sister.

"Where?" Klaus asked her.

Caroline stopped walking and turned around to face him, "what?"

"Where are you sleeping?" he asked with a funny face.

"Oh. Your sister gave a room to each of us when we arrived."

"But, your place is next to me, love."

"Niklaus you are badly injured, you probably shouldn't…" Lucien jumped in, Klaus getting his hands on Caroline was never part of his plan.

"Yeah, well, I didn't ask for your opinion, Lucien," he said in a tight voice.

"I think it's better if you sleep on your own tonight," Caroline chimed in "plus, I have a headache and I still need to speak with my sister."

"So many excuses," Klaus said, his tight voice a sign of his annoyance.

"They're not excuses, it's the truth." She defended, her voice defiant and fierce.

"Wow… I understand why I married you now," he responded as he walked closer and took a soft hold of her chin. "Your fire. I like it" he told her with a charming smile.

Meanwhile, Lucien looked away, biting his tongue to keep his jealousy at bay, watching Klaus touch her as if he had a right to do so angered him beyond belief.

"Alright... I won't force you to stay in my room tonight" Klaus told her, letting her go so she could walk upstairs with her sister.

"Goodnight," she said, taking the brunette's hand and hurrying up the stairs.

Klaus watched them reach the top floor and then turned to Lucien with a cold stare. "Tomorrow, don't leave without speaking with me first," he said angrily, giving his brother one last look before walking up the stairs as well.

Lucien watched him leave with rage, knowing he needed to fix this, the bastard couldn't ruin his plans and he definitely couldn't get his dirty hands on Caroline. He would not allow it.

* * *

Caroline stormed into her guest bedroom, irritated of the blonde man with his stupid accent and his stupid blue eyes. "I can't stand him! He's a pompous and a show off," she shouted.

Davina giggled amused by her sister's outburst. "Well... he has reason to be! He is hot!" she said facetiously.

"He's the devil, that's what he is!" Caroline exclaimed, infuriated, pacing back and forth throughout the room. "What do I do?" she asked.

"I don't know Care, but I'm scared. What if Lucien really blames everything on us?" Davina whispered, all previous amusement gone and replaced with worry.

"He knows. He knows we're lying… " Caroline said as she continued to pace around the room. Lucien was an idiot if he really believed his brother was clueless about the whole ordeal, Klaus knew something… she didn't know the man, but he didn't have the face of someone who could easily be fooled. "I can feel it Dee, he knows something."

* * *

"Did he eat his supper?" Freya asked Pete who was walking out of Klaus's bedroom with a tray of dirty plates. She was heading to bed but decided to check on her brother, the several cuts and bruises along with the blackouts he was experiencing were worrisome and she wanted to make sure he was okay before falling asleep.

"Not much, Miss. He seemed to have no appetite."

"And is his wife with him now?"

"No, mam, he was alone."

"Alright, thanks Pete! Have a good night."

"You as well, Ms. Freya," he kindly told her before heading down towards the kitchen.

Freya walked down the hall towards Klaus bedroom and softly knocked on the door, she heard her brother tell her to come in and quickly stepped inside. She looked around quickly noticing that Caroline wasn't with him, instead, he was alone sitting against the bedframe with a book in hand. "Where is your wife?" she asked curiously before taking a seat on the end of his bed.

"She was complaining of a headache and decided to sleep in the guest room, she also thought I'd be more comfortable."

Freya nodded, not buying his excuse, but deciding to drop the subject and focus on him. "How are you feeling, brother?"

"Tired, my entire body aches, but other than that I'm fine."

"I'm sure that will pass in the next few days, but I was mostly referring to your memories. Have you remembered anything?"

"Yes, yes, I have. Everything is okay sister, no need to worry." He lied.

"Okay, I'm glad, now what I would like to know is why you never told us about your relationship with Caroline and why you decided to marry her the way you did." She gave him a pointed look, urging him to give her an answer, but he remained silent.

"We had to lie to everyone and say we'd met her before and that we were aware of your nuptials."

"Did she agree to it?"

"Poor girl was so stunned and disconcerted she had no objections, the less people she had to speak with the better." She paused, considering the lies he'd told Caroline, "Why didn't you tell her about your real situation? You even lied with respect to us, you told her that we lived in Europe and that we saw each other very rarely."

"It's strange, isn't it?" The question was directed at himself, still trying to make sense of all these ridiculous lies he'd apparently told.

"Of course it is strange, but for us! You should know your motives behind your secrecy."

He sighed, exasperated. "I don't know, Freya! I don't understand any of this. I admit that I'm the worst when it comes to sharing my personal life and plans, but I would never do anything that jeopardizes our family without informing any of you! But somehow I decided to marry some girl, whose face I can't even remember, and lie to her about every aspect of my life! So, no! I don't know my motives!"

"So, you haven't remembered anything?"

"Glimpses and pieces from the days before the accident, but not anything related to her," he confessed.

"Maybe you should heed Grayson's advice and schedule those additional head scans, maybe your injury is worse than he predicted."

The worry was evident in her voice, and even though Klaus was sure those test would prove to be unnecessary, he decided to calm his older sister.

"You're right, I will talk to him about that."

"Thank you brother," she told him with a grateful smile.

"Did Lucien know Caroline before my accident?"

His question surprised her and she looked at him with confusion, "what do you mean? None of us knew anything about her, we met her when she arrived for the funeral and Lucien didn't meet her until the following morning."

"I just thought maybe I'd introduced them."

"Brother, are you sure everything is okay?"

"Yes, there's still a couple of things that are hazy, but I'm probably just tired."

"You're right, I should let you rest. Good night brother."

Klaus accepted the quick hug she gave him. He and his siblings weren't overly affectionate, but he understood that Freya needed this, he couldn't even imagine how heartbroken she'd been with his supposed death and to be completely honest he needed the hug as well. It was nice to know that no matter what, he could still count on them. Always and Forever, like they'd promised each other as children.

The hug only lasted a couple of seconds before he was alone again. Alone to continue plaguing himself with questions about his current situation, questions regarding the blonde that had mysteriously entered his life. Suffice it to say, rest wouldn't come as easily as he hoped.

* * *

 **THANK YOU.**


End file.
